Stack 'em high dealer – collapses

[belfastguzzi]

Dealers closing: here, there and everywhere. Now one of the big high-profile stack 'em high & sell 'em cheap stores has gone down.

 

From The Sun

BRITAIN'S biggest motorbike dealer is crashing into administration — as the latest victim of the slowdown tearing through the high street.

GEORGE WHITE ceased trading after running out of cash. And sources claim staff at dealerships in Swindon, Plymouth and Torbay were being made redundant.

 

The company sells everything from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Piaggio bikes from five dealerships.

 

The company plunged £663,784 into the red in 2010 on sales of £26million and warned it was having to cut jobs.

 

Swindon-based George White was set up in 1961 former Swindon speedway rider George White.

 

Restructuring experts DELOITTE were appointed to the business and confirmed 61 of 70 jobs had gone.

 

...consultants BEGBIES TRAYNOR said there was a 24 per cent rise in companies on the "critical list" in the final three months of last year.

 

 

Story is also on MCN website and one of the comments seems a fair summary:

 

in a way not surprised, the xj6s i have at the moment cost me £4k from there, less than most used ones were selling for - the zx6r i bought there in 09 was so cheap, when i got knocked off and it was wrote-off i made a £400 profit! (and kept the 2 paddock stands and other freebies they chucked in).

 

Their business model was stack 'em high sell 'em cheap - i reckon they did a bit too much stackin', not enough selling. They were also clearly concerned about this business model and the high price of jap bikes that the floor was not that full when we last went (xmas week), and much of the stock was the italian stuff they had diversified into. They moved to their new showrooms in Swindon (from manchester road) not long before the credit-crisis, and although the 0% deals helped, we often wondered how they stayed solvent.

 

Shame for some of the folk who worked there - some were unhelpful and probably were part of the demise. I have to say the after-sales was rubbish, they didn't register my xj6s with yam uk for 2 months until i threatened to kick up a stink (meaning my warranty was not ready to go and the free RAC cover wasn't on the system).

 

The shop and the 'auto-jumble' were quite good for kit, but i bet many of their smaller rivals in abingdon, gloucester, cheltenham, cirensester, trowbridge etc are breathing a collective sigh of relief as they must have been taking a lot of business away (ruthless, tight toe-rags like me!).

 

[Guzzirider]

Bad timing I ordered some indicators for my Daytona online only this morning.

Hopefully Paypal will refund if I dont get my order.