Speed is of the essence for grs purchasing team

It’s often the case that the most important parts of machines or organisations are those which are out of sight, hidden from view: the inner workings of the latest laptop perhaps, the engine beneath the bonnet of a sleek new car, or the distribution network that keeps the supermarkets stocked with food.
The same can definitely be said of the grs purchasing team – an unsung yet integral part of the company responsible for ensuring an efficient turnaround for vendors, as well as ensuring vehicles are available for sale to thousands of retail forecourts across the country as speedily as possible.
“We have an important role in processing every car sold by grs,” explains Tig Lockton, Purchasing Team Leader, whose first priority is to ensure a smooth and trouble-free sale for the vendor. “Our first job is to make contact with the vendor so that we can pay for the vehicles as quickly as possible and arrange for them to be collected”.
People skills are essential for every member of the purchasing team. “We build really good relationships with our vendors and get to know many of them personally. For those who have not sold vehicles to grs before, it’s important that we’re able to have a conversation with them, explain how it all works and put their minds at rest. Very quickly we’re able to build trust, which is essential”.
In addition to people skills, an eye for detail is another attribute essential for every member of the team. “Another part of our role is to gather as much information as possible about every vehicle from the vendor, including the specification, colour, mileage and condition, and then add all of this onto our system without delay.
“As soon as we do that, the vehicle is available for sale and is visible to the sales team who are talking to retailers on a daily basis, finding them cars and commercial vehicles that meet their specific needs from across our stock, which is why the information we gain from vendors is so important. For us, it’s all about accuracy and speed!”
Based in Shrewsbury, the five-strong team typically log up to 100 cars a day onto the grs sales system. They are also responsible for liaising with the grs logistics centre at Cold Meece, to let them know exactly how many vehicles will be arriving on any given day.
Asked to sum up the role of her team, Tig says: “It’s incredibly important, as we touch so many areas of the business, as well as being an important point of contact for vendors. Essentially, we’re here to make it as easy as possible for them to sell their vehicles.
“For us, the bottom line is ensuring a smooth and efficient process for the vendor, and to be as fast and accurate as we possibly can

Considering a commercial opportunity

David Fildes

THE NUMBER of commercial vehicles sold by grs has soared over the past few years, representing a real opportunity for car retailers across the UK too.  In 2010 grs sold more than 2,000 commercial vehicles – up from around 200 just five years ago – as many more retailers took the chance to tap into this lucrative market, despite many not being specialists in this area. To help these retailers grs employs a team of Commercial Vehicle Specialists, headed by David Fildes and Ben Harvey.

“We’ve seen real growth in demand for good quality commercial vehicles over the past year and this shows no sign of slowing,” says David, who believes the recession has led to many people starting out on their own.
Reinforcing this theory, demand is particularly strong for small, car-derived vans, as well as pick-up trucks. And with buyers demanding quality and reliability, there’s an emphasis on good condition, low mileage, late plate vehicles. “Retailers tell me they are being asked every day whether they can supply small commercial vehicles,” continues David. “They’re already in short supply and this situation is likely to become more acute over the coming months, so it’s a good time to test the market by putting one on the forecourt to whet the appetite of potential customers”.
However, David acknowledges that non-commercial specialists who have yet to dip a toe into the commercial vehicle market may be unsure where to start.  “At grs our knowledge and expertise in commercial vehicles has grown in line with the number of vehicles we’ve sold over the past few years. We will guide retailers every step of the way, to help them purchase the right van or truck for their forecourt.”  David also points out that retailers can treat grs stock as their own, giving customers access to the entire grs database online – an entirely risk-free approach.

Concludes David: “Whether a retailer wants to test the market with a single commercial vehicle or wants to replenish an entire forecourt – they can all benefit from our extensive experience and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the market, along with our extensive stock of high quality vehicles”.

Acting as an Agent

“The UK fleet and business car market is one of the most sophisticated in the world and yet, it would appear, most of the management fire-power is focused on vehicle acquisition rather than disposal”.
So began the grs “Best practice in fleet remarketing” report which found evidence that the industry is tending to focus on a single-channel approach to vehicle disposal, without yet fully exploring the other routes to market which now exist.  However, the report also revealed that many of the industry’s leading players recognised the need for change, including better management information, greater certainty of sale and a remarketing partner prepared to act as an agent on their behalf.

As a leader in the remarketing sector, grs has pioneered several options for vendors wanting to de-fleet, including outright purchase and residual value underwriting, which have grown in popularity in recent years. Perhaps less well known is its ability to act as an agent – an area of particular interest according to the remarketing report – where grs uses both its extensive industry expertise and nationwide network of retailers to maximise the value of de-fleeted vehicles, working on a fee basis.
Explaining the approach, Theo Kortland, Managing Director of grs, said: “We’re well placed to offer this service as we’ve developed extremely strong relationships with some 13,000 independent and franchised retailers across the UK over the past 15 years. Our experienced sales team is in regular contact with these retailers, and they trust grs to provide high quality stock that meets their showroom and forecourt requirements throughout the year”.

Continued Theo: “I believe our reach and relationships make the grs proposition strong for vendors keen to take a multi-channel approach to de-fleeting, particularly those with an eye on the true cost of disposal, once refurbishment costs and transport charges are taken into consideration, not to mention the inherent uncertainty of auction sales”.

And the grs offer is becoming ever more compelling. Its market-leading imagery is helping to maximise the value of every vehicle, as well as playing an important role in facilitating sales for retailers who can access the full stock list 24-hours a day.  For vendors, management information can be tailored to meet individual requirements, whether it’s ‘days to sale’ or ‘performance against the market’, ensuring accurate and consistent measures of success are provided.

Concludes Theo: “By providing a number of additional routes to market which can operate alongside more traditional routes, we can help vendors to remarket their vehicles, rather than just disposing of them”.

For a free copy of the “Best practice in remarketing report” or to find out how grs can help to optimise the value of your vehicles, please call Theo Kortland on 01743 281800.