Hunts adjusts to life after Honda

As with any relationship that breaks down after many years, hurt and disappointment are two feelings with which at least one party normally has to come to terms. Understanding what went wrong is key to moving forward … or is it? Draw a line under it, re-group and put your best foot forward is probably the better way of dealing with a break-up, and it’s certainly working for John Brown and the team at Hunts Motorcycles in Manchester.

Within twenty-four hours of being told that his dealer contract with Honda would not be renewed in April 2021 after a working relationship that spanned more than four decades, Hunts managing director John Brown gathered his key people around him and drew up a plan. An email was sent to Yamaha explaining the situation they found themselves in, and a positive response was received the same day. A meeting then followed, and the next phase in the life of Hunts Motorcycles began to take shape. Within two weeks, a clear direction of travel emerged with Yamaha.

Hunts finance director Kelly Talmage stressed how important it was for everyone involved to act quickly: “We have 26 team members here at Hunts, that’s 26 families depending on us; we needed to act decisively to secure the future of the business.”

It’s not difficult to see why Yamaha snapped up the opportunity – an experienced and passionate team, four buildings which include two showrooms, a used bike centre and a PDI centre, four vans offering bike delivery and a loyal customer base which has been built up around a dealership which has been in the same premises since before the Second World War.

Barry Wharmby, motorcycle sales manager at Yamaha, said, “We have an industry-leading dealer network, delivering the highest standards throughout the Yamaha customer journey. When the opportunity to fill an open point in Manchester with John and his team at Hunts came up, we didn’t hesitate. Working with someone with such a wealth of experience and a customer focus aligned so closely with ours felt like an obvious choice. Since then, we have worked with John and the team to create a strong partnership ready for the future, whether in sales of motorcycles and scooters, parts and accessories, ePTW products, or the exciting new e-bike products shortly to arrive to market.”

Brown remains dumbfounded as to the reason Honda parted company with the dealership after what he describes as “many great years”. He suspects it may be due to selling out of the area, but with a 500-unit quarterly target to achieve, he felt he had no choice – demonstrating the fine line that all manufacturers and dealers tread between territory and volume sales.

At Honda’s 2017 Annual Dealer Conference, it announced that five-year dealer agreements would be reviewed and consideration would be given to succession planning within dealerships and location – to ensure customers had a reasonable ride time to the nearest dealer. Plans were also announced to reduce the number of dealers in the Honda network. Back then, there were 83 Honda dealers; currently that number stands at 62. Territories have increased in size for the remaining dealers, emphasising the local catchment area and getting the best from that area.

Honda says it has been on this pathway for some time now, having no fixed number of dealers in mind, and is seeing dealers thriving due to the additional volumes and increased profitability coming as a result of the changes. During the last five years, Honda says, it has worked with its dealers individually, and the majority are still with them but some chose to part company due to succession or retirement and were provided with a dignified transition pathway. Some dealers have also been asked to move area or to new premises. Honda says it is not looking for a “one size fits all” model but considers the size of the business, enthusiasm, the future, corporate identity and location.

Neil Fletcher, head of motorcycles for Honda UK, says: “Every case is different, and we try wherever possible to be respectful, particularly where there is an extensive history involved. If it doesn’t work out, we give a suitable timeframe for the business to reposition itself, usually longer than the business wants. I would like to put on record our thanks to John and his team, I’m sure he’s got a bright future ahead of him and we wish him the best of luck.”

Brown and the Hunts team are now enjoying forging new relationships with the team at Yamaha. They have already established a good rapport with area manager Grant Halliday and are excited by the strong model range.

Brown enthuses: “Yamaha has a totally different approach, it really wants the relationship to work, which is so refreshing. And the team are already proving to be professional and well organised.” And of the Honda break-up and the future? “We were Honda’s second-biggest dealer in terms of bike sales, and I still don’t fully understand why Honda walked away, but now we’ve invested fully into Yamaha’s visual identity, including the charcoal ceiling, in-store configurator and branding, and we’re really pleased with the results. One of the two showrooms, which was formerly dedicated to Honda’s small bike range, is now housing a used bike showroom. Customers are following the dealership rather than the product. They are proving easy to convert, and we’re enjoying dealing with a younger, more enthusiastic, customer who are drawn to the exciting Yamaha products. Our website has been completely overhauled to incorporate the Yamaha range by our website manager Mike Robinson, web traffic is monitored by us here at the dealership, and this now accounts for more than 80% of our enquiries.

“I came into this business straight from school and inherited it from my mum, so it is much more than a business to me. We are very fortunate to have an extremely loyal team here, several of whom have been with us for more than 30 years and are integral to our success.”

Brown’s 21-year-old son Ben is now also involved with the business, which bodes well for the long-term future, and while the break up with Honda was definitely not what Brown had envisaged or wanted, he now has a very different perspective on it; “Two years on since we were told our contract wasn’t going to be renewed it is absolutely the best thing that could have happened to us. We look forward to a bright future with Yamaha and to building its market share by being proactive as a dealership with the energy and enthusiasm we have always had for the industry!” ■