Broker News Newsletter 22 August 2023

Drivalia commits to broker channel

We’ve seen it before when funder commitment to a channel is well-intentioned but the actual detail and support is lacking. Not so Drivalia. Step by step it’s doing the right thing, building the brand and the partner network gradually. The next step is to offer tactical deals. To do this it has enlisted the help of technology provider Fleet Procure and its Stock Manager system to manage tacticals from order to delivery. I look forward to Drivalia’s successful progress as it continues to grow.

Agency concerns continue to reverberate

The question of agency is one that reverberates throughout the automotive business. Most brokers I’ve spoken to write very little Mercedes business. And now used dealers are beginning to wonder what effect agency might have on their livelihoods. It remains an approach to retailing that is at best a work in progress.

In the meantime, Broker News understands that Tom Brennan, head of fleet at Mercedes, who spent much of his time last year explaining the impact of agency to brokers, has left the business. A nice man, perhaps saddled with an unwelcome message, I’m sure we all wish him luck in the future.

Ralph Morton, editor