Large companies are increasing their grip on the retail motor industry, with one fifth of the country’s 5,135 dealerships now in the hands of the AM top 20 dealer groups.

That’s just one of the key findings of the latest Sewells’ Franchise Networks.

Now in its 33rd year, the annual report on the structure and sales performance of UK car manufacturers’ and importers’ dealer networks also notes that during 2004 the number of franchised dealer points increased by 26 to 5,927, halting an eight-year decline in numbers.

It was a year in which new car registrations broke through the 2m barrier for the third time running – at 2.57m, they were just 11,781 units short of 2003’s all-time high of 2.58m.

The UK has also regained its crown as Europe’s largest used car market. It reclaims the top spot from Germany which had 6.8m used car sales compared with the UK total of 7.2m.

The 2005 report contains wide-ranging intelligence on industry trends and key factors. Among these is a review of the dealer groups’ influence on UK car distribution; a review of the top AM100 dealer groups’ performance and profitability; UK car market new car registrations and trends; UK used car sales values and trends; an overview of European new car registrations and trends, and much more.

Sewells’ Franchise Networks is designed to provide automotive industry professionals with essential data and market intelligence from authoritative sources.