Sat Jun 14 00:09:07 1997 - Message No. 1043
From: katsanos@classic.diavlos.gr

Subject: [Fwd: PR0697:Franchise Dealers turn Grey]


Simon Milward wrote:
> 
> --------------- Forwarded Message ---------------
> 
> From:   Trevor Magner, TAMagnerBMF
> To:     Henry Marks, HenryMarksBMF
>         Simon Milward, [100422,666]
>         Stephen Prower, StephenProwerBMF
> Date:   Wed, Jun 11, 1997, 17:44
> 
> RE:     Franchise Dealers turn Grey
> 
> In light of the controversy over global vs. community exhaustion, this
> should contribute to the debate and perhaps help in the Honda Belgium case
> by indicating a precedent.
> 
>                                         Trevor
> 
> --------------- Forwarded Message ---------------
> 
> From:   Simon Evans, Snave
> TO:     Vic Barnes, [100555,732]
> CC:     BMF, [106217,3710]
>         Allen Burton, INTERNET:allen@maguk.demon.co.uk
>         Chris Dabbs, [104706,1035]
>         MOTOR CYCLE DEALER, INTERNET:mcd@redcat.co.uk
>         Paul Fowler, INTERNET:pfowler@dircon.co.uk
>         MOTOR CYCLE NEWS, INTERNET:mcn@mcn1.demon.co.uk
>         Glen Le Santo, INTERNET:lesanto@thunderace.u-net.com
>         MOTOR CYCLE SPORT, INTERNET:mcs@easynet.co.uk
>         SUPERBIKE, [101574,221]
> DATE:   11/06/97 06:35
> 
> RE:     Franchise Dealer turn Grey
> 
> PRESSRELEASEPRESSRELEASEPRESSRELEASEPRESS RELEASE
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                  11 June 1997
> 
> Franchise Dealers increasingly resort to Grey and Parallel imports:.
> 
> Figures released today by leading motorcycle database specialists Motion
> Promotion reveal
> that as many as 60% of all the UK's official franchise dealers now deal in
> grey and/or parallel
> imports. This reinforces the findings of  Glass's Guide recent survey which
> concluded that
> registrations of parallel imports accounted for nearly 25% of new
> motorcycle registrations for
> the first four months of the year
> 
> In a confidential review of nearly 800 franchise dealers, (representing
> more than 97% of the
> total UK Franchise Dealer network), 480 either had `no objections` to
> taking in grey import
> motorcycles in part exchange, or had purchased grey import models for sale
> alongside
> franchise stock. Perhaps more surprisingly, more than 100 have sold, or are
> selling, parallel
> import new motorcycles alongside `official` imports.
> 
> Commenting on the company's findings, Motion Promotion's owner, Simon
> Evans, remarks:
> "The number of grey imports among franchise dealers comes as no real
> surprise, given that
> they represent good showroom traffic for any dealer, but we were surprised
> by the number of
> franchised dealers who also deal in parallel imports.
> This must now make it very hard for the Motorcycle Industry Association
> (MCIA) to maintain
> their unsubstantiated objections to parallel and grey imports on the
> grounds that they `don't
> meet UK specifications` when their own members' franchised dealers are
> selling them !
> It's clear too, that when official franchise dealers are resorting to sales
> of parallel imports, the
> underlying twofold cause must be the differential pricing structure applied
> by the motorcycle
> manufacturers to their products worldwide, making parallel and grey imports
> price-competitive
> in the UK market  - and to the official UK importers inability to correctly
> predict or respond to
> changes in demand..."
> 
> Motion Promotion also reveals that almost all the official UK importers
> have been involved, at
> one time or another, with parallel imports and exports! Some have covertly
> assisted franchised
> dealers in obtaining supplies of popular models from abroad, whilst others
> have used UK-based
> importers/exporters to dispose of unwanted surplus stock or to bolster
> supply of popular
> models.


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