Shift to overseas buyers

18th August 2005, Page 83

18th August 2005

Page 83

Page 83, 18th August 2005 — Shift to overseas buyers

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Foreign dealers have taken control of the export trade out of the UK, says Glass's chief commercial vehicle editor George Alexander.

Ex port business is continuing to set much of the agenda in the used market, although the people who are doing the buying and exporting are increasingly coming from overseas.

It's a trend that has changed within recent months, reports Alexander.

-More lots are being sold direct to foreign dealers now as, having been shown the ropes, they no longer feel the need to use UK-based independents to act as middle man,he says.

This has also led to an improvement in the type of vehicle going overseas.

Put simply, says Alexander, these markets will no longer accept our cast-offs that have more faults than kilometres left on the clock.

The sentiment at auction is that younger vehicles, even as late as 2000registered products, have been under close bidding from domestic and overseas buyers. At the Commercial Vehicle Auction in Doncaster at the start of the month there was a strong overseas presence. As summer kicks in. typical trade numbers in the domestic market have dropped a little.

Alexander reports that auctions are little subdued and there is some evidence of a little more strength becoming apparent in the east of the country.