GLOBAL ENDURO of Bath, Somerset, went into administration on 28 January. Directors say the company, which ran motorcycle tours to Cambodia, Nepal, India and other exotic locations, ”had fallen victim to the immense financial pressures faced by many retailers in the current economic climate.” Press reports say that up to £122,000 was owed to four charities supported by the company. Administrators are Antony Batty and Co LLP, Grays Inn, London WC1R 5EF.
SHORTCUTS MRA becomes NMDA
The National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) was launched at January’s Motorcycle Trade EXPO and supersedes the Motorcycle Retailers Association (MRA). While the main objectives remain to provide dealer support, promotion and protection, the rebranding signals the start of a new era. The NMDA will be steered by a committee of respected dealer
representatives chaired by Martin Marshall. At EXPO Stephen Latham, NMDA head, told dealers that the
new Association will continue the outgoing MRA’s membership of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), which comprises six automotive trade bodies. Dealer interests with regard to manufacturers and government will continue to be defended. Recent initiatives to help dealers prosper include online business and promotion, which is considered as important as well-presented showrooms. The Dealer Attitude Survey, launched three years ago, allows dealers to benchmark manufacturer, distributor and importer performance, and it gives dealers a platform to express
views in total confidence on all business
aspects including sales, marketing, warranty, and pricing. Of immediate concern is the need for dealers to better target their marketing spend. To address this a Customer Profile Package is being researched to profile customers in each sector. In recent years many dealers have disappeared because of the
The first Chinese race bike on a UK circuit. Here 18-year-old Tom Neave aviates the first WK 650 Thundersport GP racer in testing at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire, last month. The bike is being prepared by PCR Racing in Lincolnshire for the importership. Said WK Bikes general manager Henry Maplethorpe: “Some minor changes are needed to handling, but the bike is pretty much on the pace.”
Keep up to speed with the latest news at
www.britishdealernews.co.uk
Obituaries
Eric Brookes 1934-2013 The marketing genius responsible for the launch and subsequent worldwide sales success of Silkolene motorcycle lubricants, Eric Brookes, died on 5 January aged 78. Before joining Dalton and Co, then
owner of the Silkolene brand name, in 1971 as a technical area sales manager, he worked on gear design for Rolls- Royce. This gave him insight into the lubrication demands of jet aero engines. In the late 1970s, he and fellow former R-R engineer John Rowland used their high speed aero engine knowledge
to
develop what was to become an entire range of high performance lubricants. These were specifically formulated for motorcycles as distinct from the car lubes in motorcycle packaging that then generally prevailed. The breakthrough came after Brookes
asked Rowland to develop engine and transmission oils capable of standing up to the extreme demands of two-stroke engines in sidecar competition, even though he was convinced the racing market would never be commercially viable in volume terms. They worked with the race teams – notably Dennis Trollope of Fowlers who sponsored the Yamaha of 1980 world sidecar champion Jock Taylor – and the Japanese bike manufacturers to develop two-stroke and four-stroke engine lubes. The Silkolene bike range gradually became accepted and recommended by all major manufacturers of the day. As Silkolene marketing manager,
Brookes negotiated successful sponsorship deals with Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki, and worked
14 MARCH 2013
imaginatively to promote Silkolene at race venues through track signage, branding on riders’ clothing, and finding up- and-coming young riders in motocross, sidecar and other events. Through these efforts the brand quickly became established as a top seller. Much of Silkolene’s success was due to Brookes’ strict rule of selling only through bona fide motorcycle distributors. Most of the distributors appointed in the early 1980s remain loyal to the brand. Having established Silkolene in the UK, Brookes travelled the world appointing distributors, firstly in France and then in the USA. Sadly, on these travels he suffered a heart attack in Bangkok and subsequently underwent a triple by-pass operation. In 1989 the company was purchased
by Fuchs Lubricants of Germany, which adopted Silkolene as the group’s two-wheel brand. Brookes continued to develop new markets for them until he retired in 2002.
A gentleman with an easygoing personality, he was often likened to film star David Niven. He never failed to break the ice with customers, even in the more remote corners of the world. He is remembered by colleagues for his wit, knowledge and total dedication to Silkolene. He maintained contact with his many overseas customers and colleagues. He is survived by wife Jean, daughters Vivienne, Becky and Ruth, and son John.
Jim McDonnell 1931-2013 Owner of Scooter Services and one of Vespa’s longest serving dealers, Jim McDonnell died on 20 January while on holiday in Tenerife. He was 81 and still putting in a full week’s work at his Donegall Pass, Belfast, showroom. Before opening his own business in the late 1950s, he worked as a salesman for Artie Bell, the legendary Belfast dealer and Irish road racer whose many victories included the 1948 Senior TT on a works Norton. In the early 1960s McDonnell moved to showrooms in the centre of Belfast where he became recognised as the ‘Mr Vespa’ of Northern Ireland. In 1969, the showroom made headlines when it was destroyed by an IRA bomb. Pictures in the national press resulted in massive publicity for Vespa. “More coverage than I could have ever generated myself,” McDonnell would later say with a wry grin. Apart from being a leading Vespa dealer,
McDonnell was a former top waterpolo player and became national coach for the Irish Waterpolo Association.
Kevin Ash 1959-2013 Journalist Kevin Ash, one of motorcycling’s most read and best respected writers, died on 22 January after an accident during a BMW press launch in South Africa. He was 53. After studying engineering at Imperial College, London, his first foray into motorcycle journalism came when Colin Schiller, for whom he was working as a motorcycle courier, launched Fast Bikes magazine. Ash worked as a part-time reporter and then joined Motor Cycle News as a road tester, later becoming assistant editor. His next move was to go freelance. He became the Daily Telegraph’s motorcycling correspondent, wrote regular columns for MCN and was a prolific contributor to motorcycle magazines around the world. He leaves a wife and three daughters.
Eddy Grimstead 1933-2013 Once one of east London’s most prolific and best known scooter and motorcycle retailers, Eddy Grimstead January, aged 79.
died on 17 Like many dealers of his era, he started
his career selling bicycles, opening his first shop in Poplar, east London, in 1955. This was followed by showrooms in Barking, Essex, where Royal Enfield, BSA and Ariel were among the main franchises. In the late 1950s he took on Lambretta,
followed by Vespa, and made his name as a scooter dealer. In those days, the Italian scooters were in plain colours only. By offering two- tone paint jobs at no cost to the customer he generated big sales from
the then
emerging mod community. He followed up with chromed and coppered side panels and a huge selection of Italian accessories. He opened London’s first scooter centre,
tuning boring out the GS150
Vespa up to 200cc, and offered his own Vespa Hurricane and Lambretta Imperial conversions, now collectors’ items. He also became London’s first unofficial
Honda dealer, buying his first machines from a Belgian
salesman who arrived
outside his Newbury Park, Ilford, Essex, showroom on a number 15 bus! He went on to sell Hondas by the truckload from three showrooms and then did the same with Honda cars, becoming Honda’s 1985 Car Dealer of the Year. In 1998 he quit the motorcycle business, selling his Ilford showrooms to Carnells, to concentrate on property interests and his ten-franchise car business. The car showrooms were sold two years ago. His son and grandson continue to sell cars under the Grimstead banner in Romford. He leaves a son Gary and daughter Debbie.
adverse economic conditions and fierce competition. Recognising the pace of change, the NMDA will be introducing a monthly e-newsletter to cover market trends, legal and HR issues, updates on VOSA recalls, and to simplify other complex concerns. Now more than ever dealers need to see a return on investment including membership subscriptions. Acknowledging this, the NMDA has developed comprehensive benefits that can result in enormous savings. They include: legal advice, Human Resources and employment law advice, tax and VAT help, Health and Safety guidance, and giving a voice to manufacturers. In addition, the Association can effect great deals on banking, credit cards, insurance, and trade forms, thanks to the huge
Tommy Porter (left) and head of the NMDA Stephen Latham.
buying power of the NMDA/RMI. “We are committed to being the leading, most influential
motorcycle dealer association in the UK, representing, lobbying and supporting dealer businesses to government, industry and all other stakeholders,” said Latham. “Motorcycle dealers need a trade body that is dedicated to looking after their interests and improving their profitability. They also need a collective voice and the support of a growing trade association to represent their views.” Further details: tel 01788 538332;
nmda@rmif.co.uk
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