The Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) has announced three guest speakers for next month’s Annual General Meeting – the first to be held in-person since the start of the pandemic.  

The AGM will include a talk giving a general update on the car market, including the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and how it is likely to affect future residual values, especially for EVs

The event takes place at 10:00 am on Wednesday 6 July at the Derby offices of motor industry legal specialist Geldard and will see Lee Swinerd, director at Interpath, cover restructuring in the supply chain, rising material costs, and supply shortages and their impact on the remarketing and rental sectors in terms of both pressure points and opportunity.  

Alastair Cassels, head of automotive advisory at MHA, will examine possible dealership models of the future, including the evolution of the distribution chain, fragmentation of one-stop shops and the cost per unit of remarketing.  

Finally, Marc Palmer, brand director at Auto Trader, will provide a general update on the car market, including the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and how it is likely to affect future residual values, especially for electric vehicles. 

 The meeting will also be available for members to attend online while the guest speaker presentations will start from 10:30am and be accessible to anyone who registers with the VRA by e-mailing [email protected] in advance.  

Philip Nothard, chair at the VRA, said: “We’re excited to be holding our first face-to-face AGM in three years, giving members a chance to make their voices heard about the direction of the organisation in person.  

“As well as the procedural matters that need to be addressed, we always look to invite especially high-profile speakers to take part and Lee, Alastair and Marc will undoubtedly have some very interesting things to say.”  

The VRA also welcomed new member applications from across the automotive sector and has invited anyone interested in joining the organisation to register for the AGM.