Why Mazda ticks all Vertu’s boxes
Taking on the Mazda franchise has proved to be a big surprise for Vertu Motors – and a very pleasant one at that.
North-east based Vertu, the UK’s ninth largest car retail group, became a Mazda retailer for the first time with the acquisition last year of three dealerships from the receivers of Brooklyn Motors at Redditch and Cheltenham. Now the company is keen to increase its dealings with the manufacturer.
Vertu’s operations director David Crane said: “Dealing with Mazda is superb. It is a small team and they are very responsive, listening and taking decisions quickly. We have close relationships with the management team and it is refreshing that they are very customer focused – for example when picking up the debris from the receivership of Brooklyn Motors they helped customers and went way beyond their legal responsibility at some material cost, as did we.
“The range of product is fantastic, the customers are very loyal, and margins are strong. The quality is also tremendous, and we have very few product issues.”
Sales have been particularly pleasing for Vertu. Crane added: “Volumes have taken us by surprise and we have certainly improved dramatically on the previous incumbent dealer’s numbers. We consistently achieve top band volume targets, and we have over-performed significantly against the numbers we have in our internal business plans. I understand Mazda is happy with the performance so far.”
As far as Vertu is concerned, Mazda fits the bill. Crane said the key things it looks for in a franchise relationship are:
A vision for where the franchise is going and what it can achieve
Quality people who share the vision – and have a real passion for the brand
Stability in the senior management team, so that we can build strong relationships
Clarity of marketing and a consistent approach to dealer programmes – fair targets are absolutely critical
Great products
An ability to deal openly and honestly with each other, rather than political posturing
He added: “I am delighted to say that our, relatively short, experience of Mazda suggests that the franchise ticks all of those boxes.”
Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson said: “Adding Vertu as one of our partners is yet another example of why Mazda is the UK’s franchise of choice for ambitious dealers, whether they are large companies like Vertu or smaller, family-owned businesses.
“Our flexible but focused customer approach means we can respond quickly to make sure our dealer partners get the service they expect and deserve. I’m delighted that Vertu’s experience so far bears that out.”
