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SEPTEMBER 2020 AFTERMARKET 53 www.aftermarketonline.net distancing. PPE items include a washable mask, hand sanitiser and a hi-vis vest. Large format A2 posters and mirror hanging air fresheners help to remind both staff and customers about guidelines too. An earlier run of 2,000 packs, developed by founder OESAA member Schaeffler, were snapped up in a matter of days during May. OESAA also produced an interactive training session on the latest guidelines. This generates a Certificate stating the garage is ‘COVID aware’ and following guidelines. The training and packs have already been proven to help garages pass the IGA’s COVID- 19 workplace audit. To order a garage pack, visit: https://oeparts.typeform.com/to/r6X Qp87S. To complete the e-learning session, visit: https://oeparts.typeform.com/to/Qff otjvj 17 July: Get back to work Says government, as staycation trend identified as road safety concern Government advice on working from home began shifting towards encouraging remote workers back into work. At a press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Instead of government telling people to work from home, we're going to give employers, more discretion and ask them to make decisions about how their staff who work, safely. That could mean, of course, continuing to work from home which is one way of working safely and which has worked for many employers and employees.” Meanwhile, with many people wary of public transport, garages expect to see business rise. Traffic was increasing steadily since lockdown. At the end of June, it had reached levels comparable to the late 1980s and early 1990s according to the AA. At the time, the motoring organisation also predicted that traffic could be back to normal by the end of July. Another factor expected to impact on customer levels for workshop businesses was a trend towards staycations. New research from Kwik Fit suggests that while only 15% of UK adults were heading overseas for holidays, 13.1 million were looking to use their vehicle to get away for a UK break this summer. Unfortunately, 3 million of those using their car to holiday this summer admitted to never carrying out any safety checks before getting on the road. Only 54% drivers planning to travel with their car this summer said they check tyre pressure, just 50% monitor screen wash levels, and only 49% said they will look at oil levels before setting off. More seriously, despite the government ending MOT exemption on 1 August, only 19% of drivers affected said they will get a fresh MOT ahead of their trip. 20 July: 88% online traffic increase for lead generator during lockdown Independent garages were actively sought out by motorists left unsupported by the mass closure of franchised dealers during lockdown, with garage lead generator site autoadviser.co.uk seeing an 88% increase in traffic over the period. Alex Taylor, founder of AutoAdvisor .co.uk , said: “We’ve seen the biggest rise in traffic to the site in the past four months and, with dealerships closing, it meant more business and demand for independent garages. With a 70% drop in car journeys at the height of the lockdown, combined with the MOT extension and dealerships closing, motorists decided to go online and seek support to help keep their vehicle on the road.” 22 July: 6,000 automotive businesses on the brink, but vast majority demonstrating resilience 6,000 automotive businesses were at risk of closing within weeks, according to the IMI’s analysis of the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. According the ONS Data, which covered 29 June to 12 July, 6.4% of automotive business either had no cash reserves or only enough to cover less than a month, an increase of 0.3% since last reporting. Fortunately, the bulk of the sector was showing a high degree of resilience. 95% of automotive businesses were found to be trading with a further 2.5% planning likely to have re-opened by mid-July. The sector had the highest percentage of businesses reporting an increase in turnover by early July – 23% – roughly equivalent to 20,000 businesses. 34% went on to say that their cash reserves would last more than six months. Approximately 81,000 jobs returned to work from furlough, but there were still 177,000 jobs on furlough 30,500 jobs returned to their usual working location, with a further 31,000 planned to return by mid-July. 1 August: Mandatory MOT testing reintroduced Mandatory MOT testing was reintroduced from Saturday 1 August 2020, following months of lobbying from sector organisations including the GEA, IAAF, IGA, and IMI. They and many others had been calling for the extension to be cancelled as soon as possible. Welcoming the news that the test was coming back, IAAF Chief Executive Wendy Williamson said: “The IAAF is now urging the industry to encourage drivers who have previously made the decision to extend their MOT to bring their vehicle in as soon as possible.” IGA Chief Executive Stuart James commented: “We thank the government for listening to our views. Even though this scheme has only been in place for four months, it has been detrimental to the roadworthiness of many cars, taken away the bread and butter of the independent garage sector and left a great number of consumers confused.” IMI CEO Steve Nash added: “The risks of the exemption were increasing exponentially the longer it went on. The MOT on millions of vehicles has already expired, which means even the most basic checks haven’t been done, with claims that more than a million vehicles due for their MOT since lockdown are likely to have failed.” 1 August: Furlough - Employers now pay National Insurance and pension contributions Garages that have taken advantage of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme now have to pay a small proportion of the cost of the furlough, with this share rising until the scheme winds up at the end of October. As Aftermarket went to press, the scheme was set to end on Saturday 31 October. www.aftermarketonline.net Follow us on facebook @aftermarket magazine