Honest Superhans
For a second, I thought it was a post by Honestjohn.
Why did "Alistair Darling" change his original copycat forum name to another semi-copycat "Honest Superhans" ?
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Camden Motors - BIG fleet business + 7 x franchises are reckoned to be heading for oblivion according to one of today's papers. Bedford area according to the article
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I dont think its just the economy that would bring them down. Selling cars not their forte. Double glazing maybe :-)
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It's the same as every other recession - the weak big businesses are being squeezed out - some like Woolworths should have gone years ago - smaller businesses will be damaged where they depend upon one sector or customer or supplier - others are prospering and growing fast - they will decome the big businesses of the future.
Give it a couple of years and everyone will be wondering what all the fuss was about.
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Don't think that Woolies went under because of the credit crunch. It was a major flaw in their pensions and business plans. They probably would have gone anyway - anyway did Woolies sell cars ?
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Did Woolies sell cars ?
Dinkeys and Corgis IIRC
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and they sold car bits and bobs...
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did Woolies sell cars ?
Yes, toy ones if I remember rightly. Had quite a collection as a kid.
Edit: Looks like I was beaten to it!
Edited by Honest Superhans on 01/02/2009 at 20:23
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Leave a Mod alone - I wished I'd stayed in bed today !
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My local one sold - oil, car cleaning stuff, car videos, DVDs, car music .........
or rather didn't sell ;)
In reality it did as the banks finally bit the bullet and decided not to finance any rescue package
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My local one sold - oil car cleaning stuff car videos DVDs car music ......... or rather didn't sell ;)
I worked for F W Wolworth & Co Ltd, years back, on their mangement trainee scheme & it WAS a strong & good company to work for. I learned a considerable amont, about customer care, as well as PROPER retailing & business skills.
&, back then they also operated Woolco, a superstore operation, with tyre bays.
& this is where I name drop.... actually I just happened to have dinner with Larry Hagman (AKA J R Ewing) in The Loews Monte Carlo Hotel, some years back!!
Courtesy of Dunlop, when they had him featured on their advertising for fuel saving Dunlop Elite tyre! The event was a weekend away to the principality, as a launch for the tyre!
& this was when I was also introducd to the Dunlop Ford Granada Estate, displaying registration A 1 !!
I think JR has survived, but not so sure of the number plate!!
VB
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"Give it a couple of years and everyone will be wondering what all the fuss was about. "
Hmm. You wish.
UK economy contracted Q4 2008 at an annualised 6%.
US freight railroad traffic down 12%. Japanese exports down 9% in December.
These are NOT recession, it will go away in 2 years numbers.
These are Depression : 10 years to recover numbers.
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Another major car dealer in trouble ...
It was rumoured in this Forum last week but it was officially announced today that Bedfordshire-based Camden Retail is now in administration. (Source: today's talkingmotors.com)
It's also believed that January's new car sales will be down by around 29 per cent. I read that the SMMT will be releasing last month's sales figures by the end of this week.
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"Camden Retail is now in administration."
Interesting, I think one of the cars on my wish list is from them. I guess I would have lost at least my deposit. When I eventually come to buy, I think I should make sure it's a quick transaction beginning to end so I don't get caught up in anything like this.
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These days I would only pay any deposit by credit card, (and pay it off at the end of the month), to shift the risk. Lack of credit card facilities is often an early sign of problems anyway.
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That's sad about Camden Motors.
As a kid, I remember Dad dragging us over to their Leighton Buzzard garage so that he could drool over the cars lined up there (that's where I inherited if from!).
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I remember walking from showroom, to showroom, within the same building, there, on timber floors with Aurther Daily characters just waiting to pounce, as soon as you even looked at one of the cars, which any 'detailing' fan, would have been proud of.
Then going over the road, to see the equivelent model, sell for 'trade money', in the BCA!!
Not that I had any idea, what it was all about, back then.
But, that doesn't mean I've the slightest clue, these days, either!!
VB
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January car sales figures out today.
sales down 30.9% on Jan last year.
comparative figures:
Dec was down 21.2% on Dec last year
Nov was down 36.8% on Nov last year
Oct was down 23.0% on Oct last year
Sept was down 21.2% on Sept last year
Aug was down 18.6% on Aug last year
July was down 13.0% on July last year
June was down 6.1% on June last year
May was down 3.5% on May last year
SMMT wants the government to stimulate demand for new vehicles in the UK market. "A number of EU member states have launched scrappage incentive schemes, which have the benefit of boosting consumer confidence and delivering significant environmental improvements,? said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. ?The UK motor industry is urging UK government to introduce a similar scheme and help sustain jobs and businesses throughout the sector.?
I.e. You scrap your old car, and the taxpayer will give you money off your new one.
Incidentally, the top 10 sellers for January were
1 - Fiesta - 8,833
2 - Focus - 5,805
3 - Corsa - 4,550
4 - Astra - 3,765
5 - Golf - 3,164
6 - A3 - 2,693
7 - 207 - 2,396
8 - Insignia - 2,276
9 - Jazz - 2,270
10 - Vectra - 2,076
So Honda aren't doing too badly if they can get a car into the top 10. Their market share is at 4.17%, compared to 4.77% for January 2008, and 3.93% over the whole of 2008.
Toyota did well, with a market share of 7.46%, compared to 5.24% in Jan 2008 and 4.96% over the whole of 2008.
Other marques that did well compared to last January were Nissan, Hyundai, and Jaguar (!).
Ford did OK: 18.69% (Jan 2008:16.34%, whole of 2008: 15.13%) despite the fact that the Mondeo was outsold by both the Insignia AND the Vectra!
Edited by tyro on 05/02/2009 at 10:38
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I assume this is based on registrations?
So VX will have registered a whole load of Insignias for promos, demonstrators, staff etc and probably sold on a load of Vectras to supermarkets etc to clear old stock?
The one that surprises me is the A3, 6th top selling car in the country for Jan?
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Bobby, I believe that you are correct about registrations.
The car that is missing from the top 10 is the 3 series, which was the 7th top selling car for the year 2008. I reckon that Audi is the new BMW. Yesterday I spotted a shiny nearly-new Audi in the village. The driver turned out to be a young lady who was driving a 1 series last time I looked, but has now got a new car.
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From the currant bun (but reported in newspapers too)
"FOURTEEN big high street names may go under the hammer after the dramatic collapse of an Icelandic billionaire?s business empire.
Playboy Jon-Asgeir Johannesson?s Baugur group filed for administration yesterday ? placing huge doubts over the businesses it has stakes in.
They are toy shop Hamleys, House of Fraser and clothing shops Principles, Warehouse, Coast, Karen Millen, Oasis, AllSaints and Whistles.... Iceland, Shoe Studio and jewellers Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths."
I only make that 12 but you get the drift...
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Something to make Mr X smile.
'Troubled car-giant Ford is facing strike action after announcing plans to axe up to 850 jobs and slash already agreed pay rises.
Ford's 'unprecedented' move comes as the recession deepens and new figures show car sales slumping by nearly a third last month.
Union leaders denounced Ford's actions as a 'betrayal' and said they would ballot for industrial action unless the company abandons plans to cut workers' pay to fund its redundancies.'
Good old Union reaction. Lets stop making cars and that will hurt a company that has fields full of them which they can't sell and which they have just increased the prices of.
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This is probably quite handy for Ford in the long run. When the economy recovers and they need to start building vans again, they can get them built in Turkey without too much fuss, as they will have already got rid of their British workforce. Tidy.
Edited by Alanovich on 06/02/2009 at 09:52
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Or then set up British factories with a huge Govt Grant to do so!!!
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tinyurl.com/c9roby
What makes the new owners think they can make a success of the business when the present owners couldn't ? If they have a magic formula, then I can't wait to see it.
Edited by Honestjohn on 09/02/2009 at 10:16
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Yes , I now know, wrong Tiny version. I shall no longer post links items, people will just have to take my word.
(Fixed. HJ.)
Edited by Honestjohn on 09/02/2009 at 10:17
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Mr X, see my other message. Either version is fine. DD.
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Either version is fine. DD.
In both cases, though, wasn't the TinyUrl unnecessary?
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=52...3
" ... your overlong link .... "
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=33...4
" ..... If the URL link you want to post is very long, then use the TinyURL Shortcut Link found at the top of the Discussion & Technical Matters page. .. "
Edited by jbif on 09/02/2009 at 10:21
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In both cases though wasn't the TinyUrl unnecessary?
Your point being? Or is this just another opportunity at a "dig" at Mr X.
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Lets stop making cars and that will hurt a company that has fields full of them .........
Ford hasn't got fields full of cars. They're all made to order, whether the order is from dealers for stock or requested by a customer.
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