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”.