Car Race Systems

The car supermarket, also known as the multi-make car dealer, is a growing trend in the used car industry, but it is not as recent a development as many people assume. The first car supermarket was Fords of Winsford, opened by Vernon Ford in 1959. This more or less coincided with the invention of the motorway, as motorway junctions were and still are, considered prime sites for car supermarkets. Fords of Winsford is still going to this day, located on a 14-acre site conveniently near Junction 18 of the M6.

The idea of the car supermarket was surprisingly slow to take off, given the obvious advantages of having a car dealership that was willing to offer all makes and models, instead of being tied to a single manufacturer. By the end of the 1980s, there were still only a handful of car supermarkets dotted around the country, primarily in the North of England.

Starting in the early 1990s, all that changed and their numbers began to increase. Nowadays, there are dozens of car supermarkets across the country, some with multiple sites. Today, these companies account for some 7% of all used car sales in Britain. They offer a huge variety of cars, sometimes as many as 4,000, all at fixed prices. Most car supermarkets have a ‘no haggling” policy, so the price you see on the sticker is the price you pay. The surroundings tend to be functional rather than comfortable, but they aim to give the same standards of service as a smaller car dealer. ‘Car-Supermarkets’ provides a comprehensive directory of UK car supermarkets and with over 100 to choose from, there is sure to be one near you.