A NEW broom at Vardy Contract Motoring has introduced sweeping changes which are set to create a solid base for expansion. Mike Roe joined VCM after leaving his position as managing director of Pendragon Contracts at the end of last year and has been making fundamental changes to prepare for further expansion. Parent company, dealer group Reg Vardy, is itself experiencing major expansion as it chases a goal of owning 100 dealerships by the end of the millennium. It currently has 80.

Roe's arrival as operations director has brought fresh ideas to the contract hire business, which has a fleet of 4,000 vehicles - a number that is expected to grow by a further 1,000 by this time next year. Roe said: 'Whereas most fleet sales used to be short-term, we have now turned that around and the majority of vehicles are now long-term fleet cars. That does not mean we are shunning the short-term sector, but we are building a strong foundation for expansion.'