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Fleet remarketing tactics must evolve to keep pace, says Aston Barclay

Fleet operators must revisit their remarketing tactics to ensure they’re ready for the accelerating evolution of the fleet remarketing sector.

Aston Barclay’s strategy of ‘connecting customers to cars and driving the future of remarketing’ caters for market changes with a mix of digital and physical channels

So says Aston Barclay, adding that operators must employ different tactics to keep stocking days and conversion rates at acceptable levels.

The observation is part of Aston Barclay’s special ‘Used Market Insights Report – The Evolving Fleet Market 2016-2019’ produced for the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) which highlights significant change within the fleet market over the past three years and forecasts more to come.

The report shows how with annual new car registrations greater than 2.6 million during 2015 and 2016, and average fleet replacement cycles currently running between 41 and 42 months, significant change within the remarketing fleet sector is likely within the coming years as greater volumes of vehicles return to market, impacting on prices.

“From the beginning of 2016 to end of May 2019, fleet prices increased by £1,937,” explained Martin Potter, group managing director, Aston Barclay. “This continued price inflation has impacted on the buying habits of dealers across the board as they have sought alternative stock profiles and at a different price point. The knock-on implications of this changing buyer behaviour are that prices within the late and low sector, and young part exchanges have also increased.”

Aston Barclay puts much of the market evolution simply down to organic, market dynamics but suggests Brexit and, more specifically, WLTP has accelerated the rate of change.

Potter continued: “Today, the market continues to evolve to meet the changing dynamics at play – Cap HPI’s recent downward market alignment is testament to that. At the same time, the late and low sector continues to establish a ‘natural’ replacement cycle rhythm as manufacturers come back into the rental markets, and the dealer – young part exchange market is an area that sees increased activity from sourcing dealers and retailers.”

He finished: “Clearly, the fleet market is evolving, and vendors need to ensure they evolve with it to ensure the greatest return on their assets.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.