Britain’s top-selling MG dealer just can’t stop celebrating – or selling cars!

Britain’s top-selling MG dealer just can’t stop celebrating – or selling cars!

W.H.Brand, based near Spalding, Lincolnshire, won the accolade of ‘Top Performing MG dealer of 2014’ and also clinched the trophy for the country’s ‘Top Selling MG3’ dealer. Now the family-run firm has celebrated 90 years in business and threw a party for more than 250 guests at the showroom in the small Fenland village of Whaplode Drove.

The celebrations also coincided with the 90^th birthday of Fred Brand, the son of the firm’s founder, William Horace Brand. Fred showed off a classic 1949 speedway bike – he took up the sport to earn money to build a new garage for the business.

While customers tucked into a fish and chips supper on a London double-decker bus parked outside the showrooms, Sales Manager Adam Brand – great grandson of the firm’s founder – just couldn’t stop himself from selling MGs.

Adam said: “It was purely a party to mark our 90^th anniversary and Fred’s 90^th birthday, but I was chatting away to a customer I’ve known for years and before you knew it, I had an order for an MG6 Magnette.

“Ten minutes later the same thing happened and someone ordered an MG3 and then yesterday someone else rang up and ordered another MG3. I didn’t really sell the cars – they sold themselves! Taking on the MG franchise was the best business decision we have ever made.

“We seem to have been celebrating for weeks on end, but we’re not complaining. We’ve got our eyes set on retaining the winner’s awards this year and it seems our customers are keen to help us.”

During the 90^th celebrations, W.H. Brand’s customers and suppliers raised nearly £500 for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance charity.

W.H. Brand joined the growing MG dealer network in December 2013 and covers Spalding, Peterborough and a large rural area covering parts of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

In the last 12 months the number of MG dealers has almost doubled. There are currently 56 MG dealerships and 10 after sales outlets across the country. More dealers will be appointed in the coming months.

JANUARY SALES - VW GROUP - Group shows slight gain worldwide in January.

• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler:“We made a stable start to another challenging year”

The Volkswagen Group began the year with a slight increase in deliveries of 0.7 per cent. The Company with its twelve brands delivered 817,600 (January 2014: 811,500) vehicles worldwide. “The Volkswagen Group made a stable start to the year. 

Our premium brands Audi and Porsche, along with ŠKODA and SEAT, put in a particularly strong performance,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday. “Looking ahead to the full year we can expect the global uncertainties to continue – and 2015 will be another challenging year,” Klingler added.

Including the figures for heavy commercial vehicles, Group brands delivered a total of 287,400 (279,400; +2.9 per cent) vehicles to customers on the overall European market in the first month of the year. 152,200 (149,300; +1.9 per cent) customers took possession of a new vehicle in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 89,300 (84,200; +6.1 per cent) units were delivered in the home market of Germany. 

The Group handed over 45,900 vehicles to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, matching the figure for January of last year. 13,800 (16,600; -16.9 per cent) units were delivered in Russia.

The Company delivered 63,200 (58,000; +9.0 per cent) vehicles in the North America region in January, of which 39,200 (36,900; +6.1 per cent) were handed over to customers in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 53,900 (67,900; -20.7 per cent) vehicles in the South America region during the same period, of which 38,500 (48,500; -20.7 per cent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

381,300 (375,000; +1.7 per cent) vehicles were delivered to customers in the Asia-Pacific region in the first month of the year, of which 351,400 (344,500; +2.0 per cent) were handed over in China (incl. Hong Kong), the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 507,100 (521,600; -2.8 per cent) vehicles to customers worldwide in January 2015.

The premium brand Audi handed over 137,700 (124,900) vehicles in the first month of the year, a substantial rise of 10.3 per cent.

The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 16,000 (12,200) vehicles, representing an increase of 31.2 per cent compared with the previous year.

The Czech brand ŠKODA delivered 87,000 (80,900) vehicles in January, an increase of 7.5 per cent.

SEAT handed over 27,700 (26,000; +6.4 per cent) vehicles to customers during the first month of the year.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 30,600 (31,600; -3.3 per cent) vehicles during the same period.

The MAN commercial vehicles brand delivered 5,600 (7,800; -29.0 per cent) units in the first month of the year.

The Swedish brand Scania delivered 5,000 (5,600; -9,7 per cent) heavy trucks and buses to customers in January.

Renault announces significant gains in annual sales, revenues and profits.

• New registrations up 3.2% to 2.7 million units
• Group revenues: €41,055 million (+0.3%). Excluding foreign exchange rate effect, +3.1%
• Group operating profit: €1,609 million, or 3.9% of revenues, compared to €1,242 million and 3.0% in 2013
• Automotive operating profit: €858 million, compared to €495 million in 2013 (2.2% vs 1.3%)
• Group operating income: €1,105 million versus minus €34 million
• Net income: €1,998 million versus €695 million in 2013
• Positive Automotive operational free cash flow: €1,083 million

“We met all the objectives announced for 2014. This milestone positions us on track to achieve our strategic plan, ‘Renault Drive the Change’. 2015 should allow us to take a new step forward, thanks to an unprecedented product offensive in the history of Renault,” said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renault.

In 2014, Group revenues came to €41,055 million, an increase of 0.3% compared to 2013. At constant exchange rates, revenues grew by 3.1%.

The contribution of the Automotive division to revenues amounted to €38,874 million, up 0.3% vs 2013. The Group offset negative currency variations by increasing prices outside Europe and by the strong growth of sales to partners.

The Group's operating profit reached €1,609 million, compared to €1,242 million in 2013 (3.9% of revenues vs 3.0% in 2013).

The Automotive operating profit rose by €363 million to €858 million, representing 2.2% of revenues. This performance results from cost reductions and from growth in sales while unfavorable foreign exchange rates and the enrichment of some end-of-life models impacted negatively.

Sales Financing contributed to €751 million to Group operating profit compared to €747 million in 2013. The drop in net banking income was offset by an increase in average loans outstanding and by growth in services. The cost of risk remained stable at 0.43%.

Other operating income and expense items were negative by €504 million, mostly due to restructuring costs of €305 million and the impairment of assets for €153 million.

Group operating income came to €1,105 million compared to -€34 million in 2013. This improvement results from the increase in operating profit and the reduction in other operating expenses of €772 million.

The contribution of associated companies, mainly Nissan, was €1,362 million, compared to €1,444 million in 2013, including the negative contribution of AVTOVAZ for -€182 million.

Net income came to €1,998 million and net income, Group share, to €1,890 million (€6.92 per share compared to €2.15 per share in 2013).

Automotive operational free cash flow was positive at €1,083 million, due to the increase in profitability, as well as a positive change of €596 million in the working capital requirement over the period.

A dividend of €1.90 per share, vs €1.72 last year, will be submitted for approval at the next Shareholders’ Annual General Meeting.

2015 OUTLOOK

In spite of the uncertainties surrounding numerous economies, global car demand should continue to grow this year (+2 %). The European market should also show a slight positive growth (+2 %) while we continue to expect high volatility in our main emerging markets:

In this context, Renault Group aims to:

• increase further its registrations and revenues (at constant exchange rates),
• continue to improve the Group’s operating margin and that of the Automotive division,
• generate positive Automotive operational free cash flow.

Renault consolidated Results

€ million	2014	2013	Change
Group revenues	41,055	40,932	+0.3 %
Operating profit % of revenues	1,609 3.9 %	1,242 3.0 %	+367 +0.9pts
Other operating income and expenses items	-504	-1,276	+772
Operating income	1,105	-34	+1,139
Net financial income	-333	-282	-51
Contribution from associated companies	1,362	1,444	-82
o/w : NISSAN	1,559	1,498	+61
AVTOVAZ	-182	-34	-148
Current and deferred taxes	-136	-433	+297
Net income	1,998	695	+1,303
Net income, Group share	1,890	586	+1,304
Automotive operational free cash flow	1,083	827	+256