The strength of a car dealer’s partnership with their franchise has probably never faced a test on the level seen over the past six months.

While senior dealership teams were formulating their strategies for what would be the eventual reopening of showrooms in June, the onus was also on manufacturers to step in and do all they could to maintain their networks and set them up for a bumper September before the uncertainty of a COVID-19 winter.

Part of that has been helping to guide customers with how best to operate in post-lockdown based on adapted versions of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) safe restart guidelines. This included offering point of sale materials (at a cost), as well as sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, distance markers and screens.

Establishing clear communication and some certainty for retailers was the immediate priority for all the manufacturers AM spoke to. All have made heavy use of the now ubiquitous video conferencing services to keep their networks informed before reopening.

Simon Hetherington, Kia UK commercial director, said: “It’s been good to keep that feedback loop open as we can’t go on visits or to events. So, we can talk about what we’re getting right and what we’re getting wrong.”