- CITNOW CALLS ON AUTO RETAIL TO ‘EVOLVE TOGETHER’
- ENNIS & CO LAUNCHES BESPOKE TALENT SOLUTIONS
- VAT REFUNDS FOR EMPLOYERS WITH DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION SCHEMES
- CAZOO COMEBACK ACCELERATES WITH NEW BRAND CAMPAIGN
- CEOs SEEK ‘REVERSE MENTORING’ FROM JUNIORS
- WEEK AHEAD: deadline for EU-US tariff-free trade deal
- NATIONAL INSURANCE HIKE HITS UK HOSPITALITY
- WHEN THE ‘TRIPLE LOCK’ WILL BANKRUPT THE STATE PENSION
- STELLANTIS IS NOW RECALLING 1.5 BLUEHDI DIESEL ENGINE IN EUROPE
- CALIFORNIA WANTS TO UP DEALER FEES
- OPINION: Will PIP reforms risk destabilising the UK car market?
CitNOW calls on auto retail to ‘evolve together’
After introducing its new CitNOW Auto360 purpose-built CRM, CitNOW launched a new white paper at Salesforce Tower in London this week, calling for automotive retail to “evolve together” in what is a pivotal moment for the industry.
The report surveyed more than 250 decision makers in automotive retail across Europe to assess how current technology is performing, explore the challenges retails face and how these are impacting customer experience and growth.
“To meet rising expectations, dealerships have invested heavily in technology,” opens the report. “But are they seeing the return they anticipated, and are consumers feeling the magic of a great customer experience?”
The report lists six key findings that will resonate with retailers, and aims to explore how retailers can navigate a fragmented marketplace.
“The message from the research is clear: dealerships are ready to evolve. Dealers are calling for fewer systems, clearer data, and intelligent automation.”
Ennis & Co launches Bespoke Talent Solutions
In response to client demand, Ennis & Co Group has teamed up with Inspire Training and Development to launch Bespoke Talent Solutions – an expert-led service to help organisations strengthen their leadership teams.
The new service delivers a full range of structured talent growth services, including leadership assessment, succession planning, talent mapping, executive onboarding and tailored development programmes for both boards and executive teams.
Ennis & Co Group co-founder and CEO Lynda Ennis and Inspire MD Stevie Fine will both share their expertise for the new service.
“Every day in every business,” said Ennis, “leadership teams face what we call the MCPC challenge – trying to find the perfect operational balance between Market conditions, Customers, People and Commercial demands. While data typically guides three of those pillars, the ‘people’ element is often the least structured and most complex.
“Bespoke Talent Solutions is designed to address that gap.”Fine added the new venture “means we’re uniquely placed to assess, design and develop programmes in a way that’s data-driven, human-focused and aligned to strategic goals”.
VAT refunds for employers with defined benefit pension schemes
Following a change in HMRC guidance on 18 June, retailers with an open or legacy defined benefit (DB) pension scheme now have a four-year VAT reclaim opportunity.
BDO’s Chris Bond says that all VAT incurred on investment management costs can now be recovered by the employer, subject to the normal VAT recovery rules. This is as opposed to apportioning VAT recovery between employer and trustee.
“The devil is in the detail though,” said Bond. “Each retailer will need to review its specific facts and arrangements in place, plus contracts and invoicing, to determine the extent of any claim opportunity.”
The management costs of defined contribution schemes are generally exempt from VAT, adds BDO, so employers offering them are not affected.
Cazoo comeback accelerates with new brand campaign
Auto Sunday can exclusively reveal Motors is launching a new multi-channel brand advertising campaign to promote Cazoo, which it acquired in June 2024 and relaunched as a used car search marketplace in April 2025.
Animated adverts targeting in-market buyers have already launched on YouTube and will soon roll out on TikTok and other social media platforms. The integrated campaign focuses on Cazoo’s ‘Right for You’ brand promise.
There are currently more than 300,000 listings on Cazoo.
CEOs seek ‘reverse mentoring’ from juniors
In 2023, BA CEO Sean Doyle introduced a reverse mentorship scheme. This involves a senior leader being mentored by someone several rungs further down the corporate ladder. Other large firms are also running reverse mentoring schemes, which The Sunday Times says helps brings generations closer and cope with “the demographic shift of executive leadership from baby boomers and Generation X towards millennials and Generation Z”.
WEEK AHEAD
Monday, Halifax house price index
Tuesday, UK retail sales
Wednesday, deadline for EU-US tariff-free trade deal
Thursday, RICS housing market survey
Friday, GDP
DATA INSIGHT
National insurance hike hits UK hospitality
69,000: Number of people already put out of work across pubs, restaurants and hotels due to the chancellor’s hike in employer national insurance, according to ONS data. Hospitality industry leaders predict “the bloodbath will continue”, reports The Sunday Times, with as many as 200k likely to lose their jobs if the NICs hike is not reversed.
When the ‘triple lock’ will bankrupt the state pension
2036: The year at which the state pension will become “completely unsustainable”, reports The Sunday Times. The IFS has calculated the pension age would need to rise to 74 by 2068-69 to keep funding the triple lock.
GLOBAL AUTO
Stellantis is now recalling 1.5 BlueHDi diesel engine in Europe
Stellantis is recalling 1.5 BlueHDi diesel engines built between October 2017 and January 2023 for camshaft chain issues. It said on Thursday that 930k vehicles in France are affected, and 117k in Belgium. It has not provided an overall figure for Europe, nor yet made a statement about any UK impact. Peugeot, Citroen, Open/Vauxhall, DS and Fiat models are all affected.
Citroen retailers have been inundated since the firm issued a stop-drive recall on the C3 and DS3 due to faulty Takata airbags. Some are quoting appointments into 2026. Around 120k UK cars are believed to be affected.
California wants to up dealer fees
California currently caps document processing fees – also known as pre-delivery service charges or dealership service charges – at $85. It is among the lowest in North America – and a proposed new bill could see this increase to 1% of the total price of the vehicle, up to a maximum of $500.The California New Car Dealers Association says the average document fee in the US is $433.
OPINION
Will PIP reforms risk destabilising the UK car market?
Personal Independence Payment revisions could have far-reaching and unintended consequences for the UK automotive retail sector.
While the immediate threat of PIP cutbacks has been avoided this week, with a wider review now promised for 2026, it’s unlikely the Government will want to keep funding 20% of the new car market via the Motability scheme.
Motability is a quiet powerhouse in the UK new car market. Last year alone, it accounted for around 20% of all new car registrations, but this isn’t evenly split across all brands and all retailers. For many retailers, Motability orders provide a reliable and predictable stream of business, supporting manufacturer targets and workshop utilisation.
If fewer people qualify for enhanced-rate mobility payments, retailers face an immediate drop in Motability orders. But beyond lost unit sales, the implications run deeper. Like many company car schemes, Motability’s replacement cycle supports used car supply, with well-maintained, low-mileage vehicles feeding dealer stock pipelines. A slowdown in Motability renewals will reduce this supply, impacting used car availability and pushing up prices.
Manufacturers too will feel the impact. Brands with a heavy Motability weighting in their UK sales mix could see market share erosion if order volumes fall away. For an industry already bracing for economic headwinds, stretched household finances and an uncertain EV transition, the timing could be one more headache.
Looking forward, there are strategic questions for retailers and OEMs. Should they invest more in Motability-specific training and customer support to protect market share among eligible customers? Or begin rebalancing sales strategies toward retail and fleet channels less exposed to welfare policy shifts?
For policymakers, the issue highlights how welfare reforms reverberate beyond direct recipients to the wider economy and tax base.
The reforms may reduce PIP costs on paper but risk denting VAT receipts on new cars, lowering corporation tax revenues from affected dealer groups and diminishing the dignity and mobility independence of disabled consumers.
Tristan Young
Editorial Director
Get in touch: tristan@autosunday.co.uk
ISSN 2977-6597