Best Practices Supplement - November 2021 - 15_SUPP

BEST PRACTICES 2021
15
dealer principal. Although glass from
the three-metre-high window landed on
a desk and chair, there were no injuries
- except to the driver's pride, Gleed
said.
FROM THE
" When I realized how close we
came ... we really dodged a bullet. "
The man had just purchased his
new GMC pickup at another dealership,
and it had less than 500 kilometres
on it, Gleed said.
FROM THE
MARCH
EDITION
DEALER IS PANE-FULLY
AWARE OF THE RISK
Crash barriers aim to stop
more unexpected visits
through windows
A TOYOTA RETAILER IN
Bowmanville, Ont., about 45 kilometres
east of Toronto, is advising other
dealers to consider installing safety
barriers in front of their glass offices
after a frightening incident at his
store.
A man who had driven his wife to
Clarington Toyota to pick up her new
Corolla in late December lost control
of his recently purchased GMC pickup
after his heavy boots became stuck
between the brake pedal and accelerator.
The
truck accelerated and rammed
into a Camry on display, pushing it
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
FROM THE
tact (typically online), through negotiating,
appraising trade-ins, arranging
financing and delivering the car
to the buyer's home.
" Our administration and
marketing departments have all
been downsized, and I don't see
them resuming " their previous
size, Boquist said.
FEBRUARY
EDITION
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MARCH
EDITION
FROM THE
Total employee count at his four
dealerships dropped to 315 during
the pandemic from a high of 390 said
Boquist, who is 2020-21 chairman of
APRIL
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the Canadian Automobile Dealers
Association. He expects that once the
industry recovers, the total staff count
will settle in at 335 to 340, off 15 per
cent from pre-pandemic levels.
Another way to cut fixed costs
is to substantially reduce the
amount of inventory on hand,
said J.D. Power's Karwel. While
dealers still need to keep a small
inventory of vehicles to service the
occasional walk-in, most buyers are
doing research online and are ready
to order, and wait for, the vehicle they
want.
through a plate glass window and into
office space.
A sales associate had left the office
to speak with someone only 60 seconds
before, said Don Gleed, Clarington's
Clarington Toyota installed steel posts
after a pickup pushed another vehicle
into the Ontario dealership.
PHOTOS: CLARINGTON TOYOTA
" He left as a passenger
in the new Corolla, "
Gleed said. " His truck
left on a flatbed truck. "
A nearby Toyota
FROM THE
The driver, who was not charged,
blamed his snow boots
for the incident.
APRIL
EDITION
Highlander crossover was also struck,
and sustained $7,000 in damage and
the Camry was " a write-off, " Gleed
said. He estimated total insured damage,
including the window, at $80,000.
After the incident, Gleed spent
$14,000 to install 10 stainless-steel
short posts, called bollards.
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MAY
" We think we're safe, " he said, " but
crazy things happen. " - ANC
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FROM THE
JULY
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AUGUST
EDITION
FROM THE
SEPTEMBER
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FROM THE
OCTOBER
EDITION
Customers seem to be content
to live with shorter operating
hours because the dealerships are
providing more pickup and delivery
services, Boquist said.
" We're not going to be providing
some services [such as shuttle]
in the future, and the customers
don't seem to be missing it, "
he said.
FROM THE
NOVEMBER
EDITION
" Whenever we're all vaccinated
and return to the new normal, will
all of those services be there? "
Boquist expects they will never
return. - ANC
JUNE
FEBRUARY
EDITION
Best Practices Supplement - November 2021

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