Sparshatts of Kent is spending Um on new facilities in
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Belvedere, updating equipment and relocating premises Words: Steve Banner Faced with a constant stream of fresh products, Mercedes-Benz dealers are investing in new facilities.
February saw Sparshatts of Kent — Mercedes CV Dealer of the Year in 2012— relocate its Tunbridge Wells operation to new premises in Tonbridge. It's also acquiring a two-acre site off Manor Way in Belvedere with an eye to relocating its Dartford operation.
Tonbridge represents a £450,000 investment for the company, according to dealer principal Andrew Sparshatt, but it is a necessary one.
"Our Tunbridge Wells site was on a retail park; access was difficult and a lot of people who came by were more interested in what John Lewis and TK Maxx were selling than they were in looking at CVs," he says. "Tonbridge gives us scope to attract a lot more business, and things are already going well there."
The investment includes a considerable amount of new equipment. "We took the opportunity to replace a lot of our existing equipment rather than simply transfer it," says Sparshatt.
The two-acre site in Belvedere involves a £2m commitment. "We'll take possession in July," he says. The business will not relocate from Dartford immediately, however: the process is likely to be gradual. "We lease the Dartford premises; the lease has yet to expire, so it could be a couple of years before we move," he says. Belvedere, however, has the potential to be a valuable long-term investment for the company. Sparshatt says that the £54m-a-year-turnover concern that also has branches in Sittingbourne —"we've got a few plans for Sittingbourne too" — and Ashford should sell 650 new vehicles this year plus about 325 used.
Mercedes' renewed product range is proving a success story for Sparshatts. "We've now supplied a few Actros tractor units to customers who took the previous model and to customers who have never run Actros units before. The feedback we're getting is that the fuel consumption is exceptional," he says. "It's doing just as well as Mercedes said it would."
Nor need customers fear that they will have to pay a big premium for Euro-6 models, he stresses. "There will be a premium, but it won't be as high as some people in the industry are suggesting," he says. • TRYING OUT THE SMALL VAN MARKET At the other end of the weight scale, Sparshatts expects to sell 100 of the new Citan light vans this year. It is the first time Mercedes has entered the small van market and the dealership is busy approaching existing Vito, Sprinter and heavy truck customers who had to go elsewhere in the past if they wanted anything lighter.
In doing so, it is stressing the quality of its aftersales service. Unlike many of the franchised dealerships that sell products that compete with Citan, but are primarily car dealers, it has workshops that stay open round-the-clock.
Dealer principal Andrew Sparshatt is also emphasising the availability of competitive finance at a time when many, perfectly viable, businesses can still find it difficult to obtain the funding they seek. "We arrange the finance for about 55% of the light commercials we supply," he says.