Wilson's Van Centre Dealer Spotlight

Established in 1907, Wilsons Van Centre is the largest privately owned, family run dealership in the UK. Their franchises include Renault, Nissan, Peugeot, Fiat, Vauxhall and Alfa.

Wilsons Van Centre is a multi-franchised dealership with over 2500 vehicles in group stock. As a van specialist, Wilsons have over 500 vans in stock at any given time, allowing prospective van buyers the opportunity to visit their sites and test drive a large variety of vans to find their next suitable purchase.

Tania Johnstone, Sales Manager for Wilsons Van Centre comments:

"Van buyers constantly tell us how useful it is to be able to compare and contrast vans on one site rather than having to visit many different dealers. The average van user wants to purchase a new van as quickly as possible . every day they are without a van costs them money - therefore, we want to make sure van drivers are able to visit Wilsons Van Centre and purchase their van TODAY. We sell over 1200 vans per year and owe a lot of our success to this philosophy..

Part of Wilson's sales success has been attributed to the website Loadsofvans.com and the use of Instant Messaging software which enables buyers to speak directly with sales executives at the click of a button, driving further sales leads.

As part of the Wilsons Group, the van centre has a dedicated service centre, body shop and parts department and all servicing and repairs are carried out in their workshop by fully trained technicians. Vans sold via Wilsons are mechanically safety checked, fully serviced, supplied with a warranty and HPI checked.

Vansunited.co.uk conducted an in-depth interview with Tania Johnstone, Sales Manager of Wilson's Van Centre to discuss the reasons behind the continuing success of Wilson's Van Centre throughout 2007 and in the future:

How does your product and market knowledge of commercial vehicles influence which vans you sell?

We take the basic needs of the van user and translate those needs into the models that are available. For example, most builders require a load space which will hold 8 metre by 4 metre sheets therefore a Nissan Interstar SWB van is a good choice. Plumbers need 3 metre tubes, so they are more suited to a Fiat Ducato MWB which is still a low roof and has over 3.1 metre load length.

Which van is your best seller of 2007?

Nissan vans are our best seller of 2007. The reason being that in the LCV market, Nissans, Vauxhalls and Renaults are structurally very similar vans, but out of the three manufacturers the Nissan is offered with the most amount of extras as standard. For example, a Vauxhall Vivaro will come with power steering, central locking, ABS and a CD player as standard whereas a Nissan Primastar comes with all the above as well as rear parking sensors, electric mirrors and windows, a CAT 1 insurance approved alarm, a dead-locking system, and a steel factory fitted bulkhead for security. This equates to over £1000 of extras. The Nissan vans are an excellent product and great value for money.

Which van would you consider a market leader and why?

A market leading van is the Fiat Ducato (SWB) as I think it has a really funky, innovative design and it is the only short wheel based van on the market which has a 2.6 metre load length. A tradesman has ample room for their load with plenty of room to spare.

Which manufacturer in your eyes produces the best vans for the following tradesmen?

Builders - Fiat, for the above reasons.
Gardeners - The Nissan Cabstar is perfect for a gardener's mud, sand, fencing etc.
Plumbers - A Fiat Ducato (MWB) as it has a 3.1 metre load length, a low roof for car parking, and it can also fit 3 metre tubing in the back.
Florists - A Nissan Primastar or a Nissan Kubistar comes with a side-loading door as standard giving the florist better access to their flowers. Or, a Fiat Doblo which has unique twin side-loading doors as standard, great for highly congested city-based florists who may be very restricted with parking.

Which factors do you think have determined the significant rise in new vans sales throughout 2007?

Used vehicles have become a lot more expensive at auction. This may be due to an increase in private buyers visiting auctions (delivery on vans is very slow through manufacturers which might explain this increase). However, the price difference between used vans at auction and new vans is so small that new vans are becoming increasingly more popular. It's also worth noting that, unlike cars, vans have a better residual value.

Looking at recent SMMT figures, the panel van sector has increased significantly in 2007 . and the trend seems set to carry on into the first quarter of 2008. What do you think are the main reasons for this?

There are so many finance options available which make buying a panel van so much easier. As house prices continue to rise, home owners are favouring extensions therefore the demand for builders (the main users of panel vans) has increased. The 2012 Olympics has also contributed to a rise in the building sector.

Why do you think we.re seeing a decrease in light car-derived vans?

There's not much difference in the price of a car-sized and a mid-sized van so it's more value for money to purchase the latter. For example, a Corsavan is manufactured at the same price as a Nissan Kubistar or a Fiat Doblo. Modern vans also have far more mod cons like PAS, electric mirrors and steering and air conditioning therefore the need to purchase a car-derived van due to its more luxurious interior has greatly diminished.

Wilsons have gained great results from using Instant Messaging as a means of getting in touch with van buyers and helping with customer enquiries. How do you ensure that you maximise this opportunity?

Wilsons always try to make sure that we have enough sales people who have the facility but sometimes this can be difficult as sales people are constantly dealing with face-to-face customers as well. To help combat this problem, Wilsons now have eight dedicated LCV specialists who just sell vans. This recent expansion should ensure that every instant message that comes in is dealt with.

Since introducing Instant Messaging, has it been a challenge getting your sales executives to use the system correctly?

Yes, in the beginning it was difficult as nothing like this had been done before. Traditional sales people who were used to more old-fashioned methods struggled, but now they.ve had the opportunity to witness direct contact with customers on such a wide basis, they see that it's a great idea and have worked harder to achieve a full understanding of the system.

What are your predictions for new and used van sales in 2008?

With the future of the economy so uncertain, people are not as willing to spend but tradesmen are still always going to be a necessity. People are far more likely to keep hold of dated cars to save money whereas vans advertise a tradesman's business therefore they must constantly adapt with the times and maintain a good image. Bearing this in mind, we feel confident that the demand for new and used vans will continue to grow from strength to strength throughout 2008.