Glasgow Talks
Glasgow Talks... M
ore electric vehicles with a longer battery life are on their way, but drivers worried about buying cars today can be assured that
the combustion engine still has many years left to run. Eddie Hawthorne, CEO and Group Managing Director, Arnold Clark Automobiles, was speaking at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s Glasgow Talks series, sponsored by Clydesdale Bank and the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow. He spoke about a £12 billion investment
by Mercedes, one of Arnold Clark’s brands, called CASE – Connected, Autonomous, Shared Services, and Electric. “Your car will be constantly connected
to the manufacturer, it is autonomous and autonomous driving is coming. Electric is the power train which Mercedes is putting in place. It includes a whole range of new cars called EQ and those cars will start to
arrive in 2021. They will start to be readily available after 2025.” He also explained that BMW and Renault
are moving down this path for battery- powered vehicles. However, he said that "range anxiety" about how far an electric car can go without a charge remains a serious issue and the cost of manufacturing will make the petrol and diesel car a good investment for several years to come. The Glasgow-based private family business, with a turnover of £4.2 billion, a valuation of £1 billion, and profits of £113 million, represents 27 different car manufacturers including Mercedes and is now on the road to electric vehicles by 2030. “We sell new cars but what we actually are is a used car business at heart. Last year we sold 305,616 cars and 30 per cent were new and 70 per cent were used vehicles.” However, he cautioned this by saying that only 1.3 per cent of these were electric vehicles.
with Eddie Hawthorne, CEO and Group Managing Director, Arnold Clark Automobiles
Eddie Hawthorne, CEO and Group Managing Director, Arnold Clark Automobiles
The company employs 12,773 people
and Hawthorne wants this to rise to 15,000 in the next few years. There are more than 5,000 in the Glasgow area, with 9,000 across Scotland, with the average age under 34.
Glasgow Talks... with Lord Willie Haughey OBE, Executive Chairman, City Facilities Management Holdings Ltd
SPEAKING at the Glasgow Talks event in October at 200 St Vincent Street, Lord Haughey spoke about growing his business, City Facilities Management Holdings Ltd, with his wife, Susan, his political elevation to the Lords six years ago and taxes on business. In its early years, the company
was built on providing refrigeration services to the pub trade, but has since transformed into a broader facilities management business, with operations in Australia, Asia, the US, France and the UK. Over the years, City, which
employs 1,100 people in Glasgow, has become increasingly focused on technology. It is on course to increase turnover to £1.1billion
from £971m in its current year, with projections to grow that to £2.3bn by 2023. He also forecasts employee numbers will rise to 15,000 by then. He indicated that the company is
now seen as a technology innovator, rather than an FM company. Lord Haughey told the audience
he believes Brexit will result in living standards falling in the UK. With so much of his firm's growth generated outside Europe, he does not envisage Brexit having a material effect on his business. But he noted it would make staff recruitment more challenging if and when freedom of movement between the EU and UK ends. He also criticised Universal Credit and plans for a workplace parking
levy, saying that it just did not make sense.
Lord Willie Haughey OBE, Executive Chairman, City Facilities Management Holdings with Stuart Patrick CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
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www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
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