Cutting-edge marketing technology

A new prestige car-lot company, shukers.com, has opened at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, bringing cutting-edge "e"

marketing technology with it.

A subsidiary of Shukers Land Rover, Shropshire's authorised Land Rover franchise with dealerships in Shrewsbury and Ludlow, it specialises in non-franchise pre-owned prestige cars and sports models.

The location of shukers.com – at the junction of Lyth Hill Road and the A49 – is expected to attract considerable passing trade as well as people who live locally.

The site has been in the motor industry in the past and Shukers has completely renovated the showroom as part of a significant investment.

Andrew Hamilton-Gray, 33, who has been appointed to run the new business, said: "These are exciting times with the long-established Shukers name now associated with other prestige cars such as Porche, Mercedes and Audi.

The setting up of shukers.com is an imaginative new venture which marks the beginning of selling from the forecourt and internet simultaneously."

From a technology perspective, shukers.com will be the showcase for 21st century trading with customers able to view vehicles online in our virtual forecourt 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

He added: "We are confident that shukers.com will mark a milestone in high-quality used car sales in a price bracket from £5,000-£50,000."

Andrew said that the current website was a "working document", adding: "We are developing it so that there will be industry-leading applications on it where people will be able to reserve a car online and leave a deposit."

They will be able to get finance quotations, but the main thing is that for 24/7 they will be able to reserve a car online."

Andrew said that the dealership site was last used by Shrewsbury Motors.

"They moved out in the latter part of last year. We took over the site in early June and spent a significant amount

of money bringing it up to Shukers' standards."

Andrew said: "We will be specialising in prestige and sports cars from £5,000 to £50,000 with marques including

BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porche and the odd Ferrari."

We have 18 cars on sale at the moment. We have a three-car showroom and our forecourt displays about 15."

They're all pre-owned. They tend to be part-exchanges that we get inat Shrewsbury and Ludlow. They are selective partexchangesand we are looking to buy some from the areaand looking on trade sites to buy good cars."

The important thing we're looking for is quality, ideally one owner and a full history where we can."

Andrew, who has been joined by sales executive Oliver Sharman, moved to shukers.com from a Ferrari main dealership.

He has 10 years' experience in the motor industry and has just completed a masters degree at Loughborough

University.

He added: "We've got a nice customer lounge within the dealership. People are welcome to come down and have a

coffee with us and look at the stock."

We operate a nonpushy sales environment."