FLEET management and leasing broker expert Wessex Fleet has partnered with South England based retail group Snows to provide an online contract hire platform under the Snows Direct name.
Wessex has provided a white label online business and personal contract hire platform offering cars from the franchises Snows represents. These include:
- Alfa Romeo,
- BMW,
- Kia,
- Lexus,
- Mazda,
- Peugeot,
- Seat,
- Toyota,
- Vauxhall and
- Volvo.
The platform allows drivers to find their ideal car, agree to finance and servicing packages and even find additional products like GAP insurance and Smart Protect from their laptop, tablet or even a mobile phone. Making leasing as simple a process as possible without ever needing to step foot in a dealership, but still offering all the knowledge of dealership representatives on specific model queries.
The Snows Direct website is fully outsourced to Wessex Fleet which means Snows doesn’t have to become a authorised representative which cuts admin and speeds up the process.
Wessex Fleet will manage Snows Leasing, which involves advertising offers based on the retailer’s current vehicles and handling the leasing enquiries from interested customers, providing them with quotes and support through the contract stage.
The white label provision is a first for Wessex, according to Wessex Fleet director and former BVRLA Leasing Broker Committee chairman Spencer Blake.
Blake added that while Snows has launched with its car brands, it will add in commercial vehicles at a later date.
He added that the site would target customers in the South of England that were local to Snows Group, rather than nationally.
“Snows are local experts and we’re PCH and BCH experts, so we’ve set up a turn-key operation for them. We do it all, so it’s no trouble for them.
“We’re aiming for around 250 cars in the first 12 months.”
Snows Group corporate director Richard Betts added: “When it comes to leasing, the UK is one of the world’s biggest markets and we are already seeing personal new car leasing continuing to grow strongly in 2022.
“Many leasing customers, particularly those coming out of company car schemes, want the opportunity to compare manufacturers, lease on flexible terms and with flexible deposits, and know they have safety and security of purchase. But they don’t want to physically visit a showroom to get it.
“Snows Direct offers all they want, plus the ease and smoothness of an online transaction, making it the perfect new addition to our digital family.”
Blake said: “Wessex Fleet is a long-standing partner of Snows Motor Group, having used them for the supply of vehicles for over 12 years.
“We are excited to be taking this partnership to a new level with the launch of Snows Direct. Snows Direct brings together the best of both businesses, it combines the Snows brand with the Wessex Fleet’s online expertise.
“Having a web presence focused specifically on business and personal contract hire will allow Snows to capture new customers that are currently purchasing online elsewhere.”
Blake added that while Wessex wasn’t yet actively looking to work with more retailers, he said it would suit groups with multiple brands and around 20-50 sites.
Tristan Young is an award winning journalist with more than 25 years’ experience reporting on the automotive industry focussing predominantly on fleet and retail. As a self-confessed petrol-head, Tristan has a weakness for car classifieds. When he’s not writing about the automotive industry, he can usually be found outdoors with a small pack of border collies.
