Every so often, a piece of industry analysis lands that cuts through the noise. The McKinsey work on dealer fixed-cost absorption does precisely that: it shines a spotlight on a structural issue that has been building quietly in the background for years, and which now sits at the heart of the profitability challenge facing UK and European dealer groups.

This past week has been one of the most concentrated bursts of activity we’ve seen across UK automotive in some time, with the ALN Winter Meeting, the VRA Automotive Summit, and the Motor Trader Industry Awards all taking place within days of each other.

The era of easy money is over - and with it, a decade-long obsession with scale for scale’s sake.

As the Chancellor prepares for the Autumn Budget, the UK economy finds itself caught between fading inflation and faltering momentum.

Global markets stand at a perilous crossroads, masked by a false sense of complacency. The AI-fuelled rally propels indices to record highs even as the real economy fractures beneath the surface.

This past week has felt like a microcosm of where automotive retail truly stands in 2025 - a sector brimming with potential but grappling with the very real challenge of integrating new technologies into legacy systems, people, and processes.