Ford Dealers Now Outnumber Chevy Stores
It’s something that hasn’t happened since the first half of the 20th century, but now it’s official, Ford retailers now outnumber their Chevrolet counterparts in the good ‘ol USA. According to statistics compiled at the end of last year, Ford had 3,131 stores across the land, versus Chevrolet’s 3,084.
Mind you, from some quarters, it’s probably not surprising, since, in the wake of GM’s structured bankruptcy many dealers lost their franchises.
But does Ford have too many stores in these lean economic times? Not necessarily, according to John Frith, vice-president of Urban Science, an automotive consultancy firm that monitors such things. In fact he says that Ford continues to closely monitor sales per store and so far, things appear to be on the up.
Last year, Ford sold a total of 1,726,349 vehicles with dealers reporting profits from 38 to as much as 129 percent. But what’s interesting, is while that total almost represents pre-recession volumes, it’s been achieved with fewer total stores.
[Source: Ward’s Auto World]
More by Huw Evans
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