‘Will 2019 be the year of the used van?’ asks September’s VRA meeting

“Will 2019 be the year of the used van?” is one of the key questions being posed at the next meeting of the Vehicle Remarketing Association, taking place on 21 September at Manheim in Bruntingthorpe.

Key presentations will be made by James Davis of Manheim, looking at the prospects of used light commercial vehicles in the year ahead; by Karl Davis of Coachworks Consulting on the latest trends in dealer best practice; and Rupert Pontin of Cazana on the current state of the used market in the UK.

Glenn Sturley, chair at the VRA, said: “There has been extensive talk about 2018 being the year of the used car, with very favourable market conditions in place – and there are signs that next year may be similarly successful for vans.

“Certainly, LCV remarketing is a subject that has very strong relevance for many of our members and we are looking forward to an informed debate about how to maximise values over the next few months and into 2019.”

Sturley said that the members were also looking forward to hearing about the latest in dealer thinking from Karl Davis at Coachworks Consulting.

“The VRA has been attracting more dealer members of late and there is definite interest in new ideas around the retailing of new cars and vans, as well as wider dealer best practice.

“We expect this presentation to prompt quite extensive debate about current dealer approaches to the market, including how to adapt to economic conditions that remain unpredictable in the medium-long term.”

Sturley added that the open discussions that took place following the formal presentations at VRA member meetings were often as useful as the presentations themselves.

“Outside of the VRA, it is probably next to impossible to access such a well-informed and far-reaching forum as about the used vehicle sector. What our members bring to these discussions is invaluable and a key benefit of being part of the organisation.”