Glasgow motor finance firm rides used car wave but flags 'areas of concern'
Startline Motor Finance said it had seen a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in the value of new business volumes written during the first quarter of 2022.
Chief executive Paul Burgess said: “Among the dealers and other introducers who offer our range of motor finance products, trading continues to be strong. During 2021, we saw an overall increase of around 25 per cent in our business volumes and that degree of growth is continuing.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Consumer confidence in the sector appears to be resilient and there are also some signs of easing in the stock shortages that we have seen over the last two years. These and other factors have contributed to this performance.”
Founded eight years ago, Startline employs 170 people at its headquarters at Skypark, Glasgow. It works with around half of the UK’s top 50 franchise dealers by turnover as well as 70 per cent of the top 50 independent car retailers.
Burgess pointed to some obstacles for the remainder of the year.
“There are clearly a number of areas of concern,” he said. “The cost of living crisis is set to worsen through the year while the impact of the situation in Ukraine is not yet clear, although it looks as though it could affect new car production quite significantly.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“However, the fundamentals of the market remain strong and we believe that the sector as a whole and Startline in particular are set for a successful 12 months.”
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.