cuts dealers`costs

Personal service
cuts dealers’ costs
SBL
is a leading national distributor
of used imported vehicles,
specialising in high-grade auctions of Japanese
and European cars, mainly from Japan and
increasingly from the UK.
The vehicle brokering business, based in
Christchurch and serving the whole country, aims
to get the best results for importers, ensuring
peace of mind with its door-to-door service.
In essence, it’s a one-stop shop for retail
dealerships with the added advantage of SBL’s
25 years’ experience in the vehicle importation
industry.
SBL supplies a diverse range of clients, from
owner-operators to franchises and the high-end
market, while it also has access to ex-fleets for
clients to secure volume.
“We import about 150 to 200 cars a month and
have customers from Auckland to Invercargill,”
says David Friend, CFO.
“Traditional wholesalers bring in vehicles and
on-sell them to make a margin.
“SBL is not a wholesaler, we are vehicle
brokers. We get cars from A to B. After buying
them in the offshore market, we charge a flat
brokerage fee and deliver them to our customers
nationwide.
“By dealing direct with the retailers, we cut out
the middle man – and pass the wholesale margin
direct to them.”
As well as managing shipping, SBL arranges
inspection services for rust and damage to ensure
only the highest quality vehicles are purchased.
SBL has developed its own search engine to
link into auctions in Japan.
“Our user-friendly search engine enables
dealers to go online, accessing thousands of cars
daily to find the vehicles they want and purchase
them with certainty of cost,” explains Friend.
Get in touch
12 | www.autofile.co.nz
“We help dealers get their bids right, to secure
the vehicles they want and we arrange for them to
be imported, serviced, complied and ready to sell.”
An added feature is that SBL “locks in” the
exchange rate on the date of purchase, removing
any movement or risk from exchange-rate
fluctuations.
“Our customers know exactly how much in
NZ$ the vehicles will cost,” says Friend.
SBL looks to build strong partnerships with
clients. While its bigger clients have buyers,
smaller dealers are busy selling and often need
someone to purchase for them.
“Many dealerships don’t have the time to get
onto their computers, search for vehicles and put
in bids,” says Friend.
“Our sales team gets to know customers and
the vehicles they are buying and selling, so we
search and buy on their behalf.”
Simon Beirne, founder and CEO, and account
manager Glenn Banks regularly travel to Japan
and the UK, ensuring they are constantly abreast
of changes and conditions in these markets.
SBL’s experienced agents on the ground in
both Japan and the UK physically sight the cars to
ensure nothing is wrong with them.
Beirne says: “We don’t sell cars, we sell a
service. We save clients time and we will find the
cars they want.
“It’s not about taking risks. It’s about
understanding our customers’ needs, knowing our
product, the market and the industry influences
better than anyone else.”
Beirne started SBL in February 2003, and has
worked as a buyer in the motor-vehicle industry
for more than 25 years.
He spent seven years as a director of the family
business, Integrity Cars. His in-depth knowledge
of Japanese culture and business experience means
he “delivers the right vehicles, at the right price”.
His father Graham was a pioneer of importing
vehicles from Japan and Simon took his first trip
there in 1989.
While working for the family business, Simon
recognised wholesaling may not continue to
be sustainable and the trade would move into
brokering. His father soon joined him as a
business partner.
Simon has significant relationships in
Japan, which have helped attract UK market
opportunities with SBL now doing business there.
“More vehicles are coming from the UK,
which is exchange-rate driven,” says Friend, who
also manages SBL’s tailored floor-plan facilities
for clients.
Overall, the used vehicle import business is
looking good.
“Because of last year’s emission law changes,
you cannot import anything older than 2004,” says
Friend.
“We thought there would be a drop in used
cars imported from Japan but numbers are similar
to last year, which is good for the second-hand
market.
A point of difference with SBL is
personalisation of service and SBL stands behind
the quality service it provides.
“We identify the vehicles that our customers
can sell and deliver them to their door for a set
fee,” says Friend.
“There are no hidden costs so everyone knows
what to expect, no surprises.”
SBL’s head office is at 157 Moorhouse Avenue, Christchurch. Phone: (03) 377-6578, fax: (03) 377-6579.
To find out more, visit www.sbltd.co.nz where you can also complete an online registration form.