Dealers see signs of recovery in the used van sector

Whether or not the green shoots of recovery mentioned in many national papers turn out to be beautiful blooms still remains to be seen. 

But there is certainly optimism in the world of used vans, with 60% of second-hand dealers reporting that business has improved in recent weeks.

According to experts at CAP Red Book, many of those 60% said the improvement had been slight, but few suffered a decline. A spokesman said: “The signs are good if the confidence of dealers is a barometer of likely results. Their confidence is quiet rather than excited, but more than half of those questioned expect to see further small improvements.”

Despite the depth of the problems, more optimistic commentators still hope to see registrations for vans over the second half that are on a par with the same period in 2008, according to experts at EuroTax Glass’s. 

George Alexander, Glass’s commercial vehicle editor, said: “This upbeat forecast derives from the fact that 3.5 tonne panel vans make up half of the marketplace. If big businesses such as the major supermarkets, which have been reporting strong sales, were to start buying LCVs, volumes would rise.”

On the second-hand scene, 3.5- tonners have struggled this year as high numbers of poorly presented panel vans failed to attract the buyers, which sapped trade sentiment and caused prices for some models to plummet. 

However, said Alexander, well-presented late-year, high-powered stock remains popular, especially longer wheelbase variants from premium marques.

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