THE Bridle Group held its annual franchise conference last week at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon (08 June).
This was the third successive year at the British Motor Museum and for the first time included funders.
Representatives from Alphabet, Arval, Leasys, LeasePlan, Lex Autolease and Santander were among the 72 attendees at the event.
Delegates heard from Bridle’s chief strategy officer Tano Di Girolamo outlining plans for franchisees, followed by a presentation from Lee Jones, managing director of Broker News partner Fleet Procure on the fintech’s latest live stock viewing advances.
Nickie Brooks (above), Bridle’s chief compliance officer, continued with a presentation to delegates of Consumer Duty, which will be taking an increasingly prominent role in the lives of all brokers. The day was rounded off by a thank you from Bridle’s chief operating officer Duncan Fitzgerald.
It was the first time we’ve invited funders, which was useful for both the franchisees and the funders to see first hand how professional the franchisees are in our business. It’s also a great catch up after two very difficult years - people value chatting with their fellow franchisees. There was also the opportunity to meet key members of Bridle such as the new customer experiences team.
Nickie Brooks, chief compliance officer, Bridle Group Tweet
There were further presentations from James Potter – aka ‘The Linked In Man’ – on expanding your presence on the professional connections site and from special guest ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Edwards (right), who recalled the sometimes desperate situations he found himself in financially to ensure he met his goal of reaching the Calgary Olympics in Canada to take part in the ski jump events.
“To hear his story, such as scavenging for food while training because he had no money for food was awe inspiring. His determination and resolve to keep going was remarkable, something I think we can all reflect upon,” added Nickie.
Bridle Franchise was the wine sponsor at the recent Broker News Awards, where Maddy Tyler – Bridle Group compliance officer – was named Rising Star of the Year.

Broker News Newsletter 4 February 2025
Catch up on the latest leasing broker news in the 4 February 2025 Broker News newsletter

VW, Peugeot and BYD the big winners in January’s new car sales
The overall January 2025 car registrations fell 2.5% against last year but the performance of Volkswagen, Peugeot and BYD stood out.

Funder Alphabet wants Government to raise the EV Expensive Car Supplement threshold to £60,000
Alphabet wants the Government to raise the level of the Expensive Car Supplement for EVs to £60,000, rather than the planned £40,000.

Wessex Fleet powers relaunched AA Lease website
Wessex Fleet Solutions has been chosen to power the relaunched AA Lease website, with 36 models available and 1,000 vehicles in stock.

Broker News Awards 2025 – booking now open
Tickets to this year’s Broker News Awards are on sale now, taking place at the Orrery restaurant in Marylebone on 03 April.

January used car market 2025 – signs of significant uptick
The January used car market shows significant improvements compared with December, says cap hpi.

Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.