It's a trend that's most apparent among dealers taking on a new, additional franchise on the same site. Sometimes the decision is taken to retain the current sales team and simply spread them a bit thinner across two, three or even four manufacturer brands.

It's having an effect on retention, because in many cases sales staff are being asked to take on another franchise without any increase in their basic salary. They're taking on more responsibility, more stock management and their target has increased, but they aren't getting anything extra for the perceived additional work.

"A lot of dealers are trying to spread their sales teams across all their brands", says Tim Bryant of RTS Consultants. "Some sales execs will happily accept the challenge of course, but others who are maybe more set in their ways can find it uncomfortable. Some people have left because of that. In many cases, they're moving on to a used car outlet or a single-franchise operator."

That gives the dealer an opportunity to bring some fresh blood into the business. And we are seeing more dealerships and groups recognise that people from outside the industry can bring some skills to the business that some of the existing people may not have – often people from the High Street, who are adept at working with the public, and used to the long hours/weekend working.