This week, we’re handing the blog over to Culloden Cars! Hear from CEO Craig Walker, who’s lengthy career in the motor industry has led him to expand the services and offering at Culloden Cars since purchasing the business in 2022, below.
About Culloden Cars
Culloden Cars was established in 2001 by Donnie Macdonald. Donnie started the business from scratch and ran it successfully until October 2022 when I was given the opportunity to purchase the business. To get to this point we must rewind a little.
In March 2020, we can all remember Covid 19 hit the world hard. It was at that point I approached Donnie and discussed the opportunity to take over Top Car Inverness. A deal was done in July 2020, where I set about rebranding and building the brand. After 2 years, we grew the site to 30 cars, we bought Peter Mackenzie’s workshop in Harbour Road, rebranded that Top Car Services then the opportunity presented itself to do a deal to take over Culloden Cars.
In Oct 2023, we closed the site at Top Car Inverness and moved the stock and staff up to Culloden Cars where we now operate under the 1 site. We have kept the Top Car Services workshop on Harbour Road, and this operates as our service department for Culloden Cars. We have around 60 Cars in stock, with 5 working in the Sales Department and 8 in the workshop.
Meet Craig Walker
I’ve been in the motor trade since 2001 but started my selling career with Macrae and Dick Rover, so the Car Industry is all I know. I then left Macrae and Dick/Parks in 2018 and joined an Automotive Finance Company called MotoNovo Finance helping Car Dealerships in Scotland with their business needs. It was there I struck up a relationship with Donnie and went into business with him in July 2020.
I still love selling so I’m heavily involved in the sales department but my overall role as CEO is to oversee the running of the companies. I purchase all the vehicles into stock and set the market prices depending on where the market is at that given time and I monitor these prices daily as they can fluctuate up and down. I monitor the efficiency of the service department, maintain our compliance status with the FCA, and make sure we keep ahead of the digital customer journey.
I’m constantly looking for opportunities to grow the business, scouting for marketing ideas and meeting with suppliers. In March 2024 I was also invited onto the committee of the Independent Motor Dealers Association where I help the rest of the executive committee meet with trade bodies and suppliers for the benefit of our members. Its free to join so if you are a motor dealer and you’re reading this, get in touch with me at Culloden Cars and I can explain more about the benefits.
Overcoming Challenges
Covid really changed the game for car dealers. A high proportion of consumers find it easy to transact online. Whether it be clothes, holidays, food shopping etc. For car dealers, we relied on the traditional method or turning up or phoning in. My outlook has always been a hybrid blend of both. How can we bring the dealership experience into the home with the technology available to us. A website was the starting point – plenty of pictures, personalised videos of the car to your phone or email, soft searches to see if credit is available to you, online finance calculators, 360 interior images so it feels like you are sitting inside the car. Availability of used car stock is poor, so we have had to get creative. We compete with We Buy Any Car and while we won’t buy every car, if you have a car for sale and it fits our stocking criteria, we will buy it.
What Culloden Car has to Offer
Our business model and strategy has been specifically set up to cater for the local community – we exist to serve you. We offer warranty, service plans, paint protection, repairs, tyres, diagnostics MOT; everything your car needs, we can do it and at half the price of the main dealers. We do our best to work with local companies only as we believe in keeping the money within the Highlands area.
We have recently launched our new websites at Culloden Cars and at Top car Services. They are packed with new tech and you can even purchase tyres online and book your appointment.
We are in the process of applying for our DVSA MOT status. This is a long-winded process that takes time. This will give us full control over our MOT’s from being sublet to being managed inhouse. We have acquired the unit behind us at Top Car Services and hope to have this operational by the end of the year.
Culloden Cars’ plan is to keep growing our sales and stock holding. We have space for another 25 vehicles which will see us push out over 1000 cars in 2025. The building blocks are in place to make this happen. It will be hard work that that’s our goal.
2023 Was a great year for Award nominations. Culloden Cars were nominated for Best Used Car Website 2023 and I was nominated as Used Car Dealer Principal of the Year at the Car Dealer Magazine Awards. Leon Radin was nominated as Rising Star at the Motor Trader Awards.
We’ve made some valuable connections through networking with the Chamber – the team at Planit Scotland have been a massive help to us all here at Culloden Cars and Top Car Services. This is exactly what the Chamber of Commerce is all about.
Our top tip for maximising membership is to speak to Talia and Eilidh. They will help understand your business and where the opportunities for you lie. It’s a vast resource and I guarantee you there will be something in there that will push your business forward.