Alex Smith, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles says:’ Running a business isn’t easy and having the best staff working for you is critical, so training and investing in people will always pay dividends in the future. It’s hard to get decisions right every time, and even successful business owners will have made a mistake at some point in the past. The key thing is to avoid repeating them.’
Alex Smith, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Not taking advantage of an opportunity was the number three business bungle, followed by offering too much of a discount and hiring a friend to work for you. Other common business errors made included pricing things too high or low or offering too many discounts.

Sixth place in the list went to taking on a relative to carry out a role in the company; while firing someone and later realising they shouldn’t have been given the boot was at seven. Trusting the wrong person or business partner was eighth in the list, with investing in equipment which didn’t do the right job and ignoring good advice completing the top ten.

Other common mistakes include allowing a junior to have more responsibility than they were ready for, acting on bad advice and losing a good member of staff because they were refused a pay rise.

Over a third (35 per cent) of business owners admit they have let their heart rule their heads at some point while running their business, with 61 per cent of those saying the decision proved detrimental. More than half of those (56 per cent) say they even lost money because of it, while 43 per cent said a friendship was ruined. Another one in ten admitted their company’s reputation was affected.

The report also showed that three quarters (72 per cent) of bosses now feel less optimistic about 2013 than they did at any point in 2012. Nine in ten (93 per cent) say that they don’t expect to achieve their annual financial targets, and just one in five (19 per cent) say that their business is ‘busy’. Two thirds (63 per cent) say that they are reluctant to make long-term investments at this point in time.

Alex Smith added: ’Spending money on short-term fixes, deferring purchases or putting off investments can be a real false economy. When it comes to vehicles, maintenance costs usually increase as they get older, while new models with the latest generation engines can provide large savings in fuel costs over their predecessors.

‘Looking at the whole-life cost of an investment, rather than just the purchase price, will often actually save businesses money. Similarly, offering value for money is vital, but this can be achieved by delivering a high quality rather than selling at a low price.’

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British Gas chose the Ford Transit primarily for its economy and low emissions, provided by its Dagenham-built 125PS 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine.
The Ford Transit also enabled British Gas operators to achieve significant cost savings by recycling the racking systems fitted to their existing Transit models.
Colin Marriott, fleet general manager, British Gas, said: “It was a no-brainer really, the vans used by our central heating installation engineers are a vital resource for them and they love the Transit. When we asked, they said: ‘Give us the same again, please.’

The vans also meet the company’s sophisticated vehicle whole life cost model, which also determines the replacement timing for its vehicles.
All the Ford Transit vans being supplied are 330 medium wheelbase, medium roof models, equipped with air-conditioning, speed limiter and winter tyres, enabling the engineers to carry out their work in the toughest of environments. Thirty-two of the vans will be four-wheel drive versions, which will be located strategically around the country by British Gas, for use in the most severe weather.

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The Big Van Event offers new van buyers £500 of free fuel, up to 20 per cent off selected van accessories along with Vauxhall’s ‘4×4’ offer, which includes four years zero per cent APR finance, a four year warranty, four year breakdown assistance cover and four years’ free servicing.

The multi award-winning Combo also gets £500 customer saving across the range. Combo is available with five different engines, CO2 emissions as low as 126g/km and a combined fuel economy of up to 58.9mpg. Buyers can choose from two wheelbases and two roof heights, making it suitable for a variety of uses and professions.

During the Big Van Event, Vivaro and Movano models will continue to be offered with free Plus Packs. For the Vivaro, this includes air conditioning, vehicle alarm and electric pack, worth more than £1,000. Movano models come with air conditioning, vehicle alarm, trip computer and rear parking sensors, worth more than £1,400.

“The Big Van Event offers van buyers unbeatable value and is a great time for drivers to get behind the wheel of a new Vauxhall van, from Corsavan to Movano,” said Richard Collier, Vauxhall’s National Commercial Vehicle Sales Manager.

Terms and conditions apply. Retail customers only and orders must be placed by 27th May.

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Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, commented; “With the new Relay Stop & Start equipped vans, Citroën has further improved the fuel economy and reduced the CO2 emissions of one of the sector’s most fuel-efficient and cleanest LCV ranges.”

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The CCM Enterprise Spring offers programme, is available on the following models registered by 30 June 2013:-

Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise van for £149 + VAT per month*.
Berlingo HDi 90 manual L1 850 Enterprise van for £149 + VAT per month*.
Dispatch HDi 125 6-speed manual L2H1 1200 Enterprise van for £229 + VAT per month*.
Relay 35 L3H2 HDi 130 6-speed manual Enterprise van for £259 + VAT per month*.

Standard equipment on Enterprise models includes:

air conditioning
rear parking sensors
Connecting Box (Bluetooth® system & USB socket)
Trafficmaster Smartnav (dynamic satellite navigation)
Trackstar (stolen vehicle tracking)
nearside sliding side load door
remote central locking
full steel bulkhead & electrically adjustable & heated door mirrors (Dispatch & Relay Enterprise)

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, commented; “This special set of Spring CCM contract hire deals offers business customers a very affordable opportunity to upgrade to well-equipped, fuel efficient and low emission Berlingo, Dispatch or Relay Enterprise vans. The attractive fixed cost aspect will particularly appeal to our growing number of Small and Medium Enterprise customers, a sector where Citroën is now very successful.”

* Based on a 2-year, 10,000 mile per annum, non-maintenance contract hire agreement with 6 payments in advance, followed by 23 monthly payments. Prices are applicable to customer orders declared and registered by 30 June 2013. Available at participating dealers only, whilst stocks last

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With the D-Max range now at full strength in single, double and extended cab configurations, Isuzu has sold 1173 vehicles in the first quarter of 2013.

The latest figures confirm Isuzu as the fastest growing pick-up Brand in the UK – in a sector which is itself showing strong growth – as well as market leader in retail sales.

Isuzu has also marked the start of 2013 with the introduction of a new range of accessories, and special Work Pack offer on its Eiger model

William Brown, General Manager at Isuzu UK commented: “The Isuzu D-Max is now appealing to a wider range of buyers, building on the initial success of the vehicle after its mid-year launch in 2012. The figures are all the more impressive when you consider that a large proportion of these sales are to retail buyers. With a renewed focus on the fleet sector as we enter Q2, we are confident that Isuzu will continue to build a strong presence in the pick-up sector throughout the year.”

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The 60 additional Sprinter 313 CDIs are now being delivered at a rate of one per day by Birmingham dealer Midlands Truck & Van.

Based across TruckForce’s 15 operating centres, which act as hubs for the organisation’s satellite locations across England and Wales, they are being used by technicians who repair, replace and service customers’ tyres at their premises or at the roadside.

Examples of these new vehicles will be exhibited at the CV Show on Goodyear Dunlop’s stand, which will be focused on the company’s TruckForce service.

The Sprinters are fitted with engine-driven PTOs which power on-board compressors, as well as Hope Safe-T-bar rear safety bumpers and roof-mounted flashing beacons.

TruckForce invested in its first 20 Sprinters two years ago. The reliability of those vans, allied to back-up from the manufacturer’s commercial vehicle dealer network, were key reasons for the decision to place this latest order with Mercedes-Benz.

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Vela’s maintenance teams will use the Citroën vans to provide a 24 hour service to customers across its 17,000 properties in Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool. All the vans are ply-lined and have been specified with passenger airbags, full steel bulkheads, reversing warning systems and parking sensors. Eighty of the vehicles are fitted with roof bars or tilt and slide ladder racks, and one of the Relays is fitted with an external glazing rack – all installed by Lyndon Security.

Around half of the Citroën vehicles in this Vela Group order have been funded through Citroën Contract Motoring 3 or 4 year, 30,000 or 40,000 mile with-maintenance contract hire agreements – with the remaining vehicles being purchased outright.

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