Southampton H-D gone into administration

Just seen on Facebook, Harley Davidson Plymouth has gone into receivership. That’s leaves dealers a bit thin on the ground. It would make me think about buying one again in the future having no local dealer.
 
autogs said:
The price of the car is surley un affected? The showroom is dealer funded so it's the labour rate that will bear that burden? I'm pretty sure land-rover guildford are £225 /hour

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Of course the price is affected by the big glass box and ‘free’ coffee and biscuits.
How can it not be?
Everything once you step on to the forecourt is paid for by customers, everything. The bloke pulling up weeds gets his wages from… paying customers. Whether it be a sales, parts or service customer that’s where the money comes from.
And by the way, the vehicles in stock aren’t free. The dealer has to pay for them.

The problem we have is the bigger, more flashy the showroom, the more ‘free’ stuff they offer, the more pressure applied by consumer protection laws, the bigger the profit margins need to be. That leads to less customers and hey presto…businesses fail.

So yes, the massive investment in the dealer premises has a direct impact on the end price.
 
I thought no one was buying Harleys anymore because head office in the USA had gone all woke and destroyed the rufty-tufty image of Harley riders?
 
Breham said:
Just seen on Facebook, Harley Davidson Plymouth has gone into receivership. That’s leaves dealers a bit thin on the ground. It would make me think about buying one again in the future having no local dealer.
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Same company that owned Southampton HD - Marsh Motorcycles from Exeter.
 
Robbo1200ADV said:
My local Dealer Sykes are extending their site size . They do sell a lot of bikes and provide a brilliant service
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But never seem to offer great deals when I am looking to chnage. Therein lie the central issues to success, sell bikes at a decent profit if customer base will stand it, reinvest in facilities and customer care and minimise debt to run the business.
 
Unsecured creditors seem to be in for the brunt of most of it.

Some serious financial fudging going on there?
Good luck to them selling on the property in this economic climate with Reeves steering the country’s growth down to 0.75%…..
 
I used to pop into HD Southampton for a coffee at the turn of the century.
Always friendly, if a little snotty about my Valkyrie with the 6-into-6 on it :D
 
I wonder if anyone is keeping tabs on all these dealer closures. Are there more HD closures than other marques or is that just my dislike of the brand.
 
ymfb said:
I wonder if anyone is keeping tabs on all these dealer closures. Are there more HD closures than other marques or is that just my dislike of the brand.
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as a percentage, HD closures seem more significant as they are spread very thinly now.

the comments about enforced stock acquisition in this case seems to be a significant factor elsewhere. Any currently profitable business that has an option to ditch their franchise, especially HD, would be wise to take that choice, especially if they can tie that in with ditching the lease on premises. Colchester Kawasaki and Blade in Swindon/Oxford are prime examples of this.
 
ymfb said:
I wonder if anyone is keeping tabs on all these dealer closures. Are there more HD closures than other marques or is that just my dislike of the brand.
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I saw this the other day.

Anybikebought

  • Changing Consumer Behaviors :rolleyes:: A shift towards online purchasing and the growing popularity of electric motorcycles require dealerships to adapt their business models.

Now, I know I live in rural France, but I have never seen an electric motorcycle in the wild and precious few in captivity.
 
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wessie said:
as a percentage, HD closures seem more significant as they are spread very thinly now.

the comments about enforced stock acquisition in this case seems to be a significant factor elsewhere. Any currently profitable business that has an option to ditch their franchise, especially HD, would be wise to take that choice, especially if they can tie that in with ditching the lease on premises. Colchester Kawasaki and Blade in Swindon/Oxford are prime examples of this.
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Add Edinburgh Harley to this growing list of dealer groups ditching the brand.
I heard that the Warrs Kings Road site in London will be up for auction, anyone know reliable information on this or is it just clickbait ?
 
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Redboots said:
I saw this the other day.

  • Changing Consumer Behaviors :rolleyes:: A shift towards online purchasing and the growing popularity of electric motorcycles require dealerships to adapt their business models.

Now, I know I live in rural France, but I have never seen an electric motorcycle in the wild and precious few in captivity.
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there are quite a few real shops in the UK selling them
This one is just around the corner from where I lived in Cheltenham
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9v2uwHYaTEvoCjpV8

Not sure what sales are like now, but they became popular as commuters during Covid and they are still trading 5 years later.

They also switched from selling Subarus to Ssangyong (now KGM) which seems to have gone well considering the number driving around Cheltenham. Money to be made in cheap Chinese bikes & Korean cars/trucks.
 
HD going back to the 80`s then, just a couple of dealers for a niche brand for those that can afford them.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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