TRANSPORT & VAN Management special Services

They have once again proven their professionalism, their vision of the future and their enthusiasm. Who are 'they'? The dealers who came to defend their candidacy before the jury of the Super Best Dealer VAN. Although they, like all their colleagues, are facing serious challenges, to put it mildly.

Delivery times . In the short term, and even in the medium term, some do not expect any improvement in this area before next year… Long delivery times are the biggest problem for dealers. And there is no miracle solution in sight. So they have to be creative by extending the usability of existing vehicles, by using second-hand vehicles to temporarily help out good customers, and even, in the case of multi-brand groups, by getting the customer to abandon his favourite brand and to brands that are less prone to logistical problems.

Longer opening hours . In order to better serve professional customers, and following the example of dealers who also sell trucks, more and more light commercial vehicle dealers are extending their opening hours (evenings, Saturday mornings). This is good for the customer, but not at all easy to organize in terms of staff for the dealer, who already has a lot of headaches finding workers.

Electrification . In a few years, we will no longer have a choice: it will be electric or (almost) nothing. It will then be up to dealers to convince their customers to change course. This is much easier said than done, because they are not helped at all by an unattractive fiscal regime in our country and an erratic government policy. That said, the electrification of vehicle fleets will inevitably reduce the number of visits to the workshop, and this can also offer new commercial opportunities. Just think of the dealer who sets up his own recycling centre for batteries.

Agency contracts . And as if that wasn't enough, dealers are now faced with what could well be a real earthquake. The scale of this is still very difficult to estimate. We are talking about the switch from dealer contracts to agency contracts, a system in which sales are handled by the importer and delivery by the dealer, which is desired by some brands. Will this reduce the role of the dealer to a pittance? At least, this is what Traxio, the federation of the automotive sector and related sectors, fears.