Car World is Mahmood Fazal’s first step into car retailing proprietorship, although he has been involved in the independent motor trade for a number of years. Born and bred in Peterborough, he believes there is healthy, but untapped, local demand for a used car supermarket focusing on low mileage, 51 to 05-plate volume family cars and small-to-medium MPVs. Stock is mostly sourced from fleet remarketers and auction houses.
In its first three weeks of operation on a four-acre site with the capacity for more than 100 vehicles, business has been “storming” at the Black Horse Approved dealership.
“The nearest similar supermarkets – at Northampton and at King’s Lynn – are 30 miles or so away,” Fazal says. “We’ve been busy from day one, and our customers have unanimously been delighted with the variety, quality and prices of the cars, and with our no hassle approach to retailing.”
Although the site is a couple of miles away from the city’s main car retailing district, Fazal is confident of long-term success driven by the internet and regional press advertising.
His website – www.carworld.uk.com – promises ‘no pushy sales staff’ and ‘value for money’, and details selling points such as same day drive-away deals, free insurance for seven days and finance offers.
Although he won’t be pressed into revealing turnover or volume targets (“it’s very early days. We’re still finding our feet and capturing our market,” he says) Fazal has long-term ambitions to open other Car World centres in the Midlands and East Anglia regions.
His main competition is Marshall Motor Group, one of East Anglia’s leading dealer groups. In Peterborough it operates approved used car operations within its Chrysler Jeep, Honda, Jaguar, MG Rover, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volvo and PAG franchises.
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