City Motors and S J Cook & Sons in Bristol, part of the Carco Group and one of the region’s oldest, family-run car dealerships, has partnered with BOM IT Solutions, one of Bristol’s longest standing IT solutions providers, amid widespread technology and digital changes in the industry.
The car buying experience has changed dramatically since the early 2000’s and has been accelerated further by the pandemic, with dealerships having to close their doors during large parts of the mandated lockdowns and buyers moving online to find their next vehicle.
The online car market is now worth $237.93 billion, and is projected to reach $722.79 billion by 2030. Dealerships like City Motors and S J Cook & Sons are taking the blended approach, offering customers the choice of the online with the showroom buying experience.
Carco Groups’ Group Marketing Manager, Emma Cook, says: “Having had a presence in the Bristol area for more than 90 years, we’re pleased to say that forecourt sales are still our biggest revenue stream. However, we are fully aware of the importance of having an online presence and the role it plays in providing customers with an alternative way to browse and buy.
“The move to streamline our IT and technology systems has more practical incentives. Like all businesses we are conscious of our bottom line and by improving our IT infrastructure we have been able to upgrade our IT systems and business processes, allowing us to keep offering our customers competitive prices and better value.”
Through the partnership, BOM IT Solutions will be assisting Carco Group with IT support, networking and IT infrastructure, as well as all aspects of its cybersecurity. The BOM IT Solutions team will be responsible for managing City Motors’ hardware procurement and support, online servers, and network support, as well as digital risk management across the business.
Car dealerships, like many sectors, remain a target for cyber gangs as the recent ransomware attack on a Gloucestershire car sales company proved, which was held ransom to the value of £60m. BOM IT’s managed services will have sight of City Motors’ Carco Groups’ entire online systems, looking to protect data, for customers and staff, and inventory.
On the partnership, Emma Cook added: “We’re extremely excited to be working with BOM IT Solutions. In the short time we’ve been working together, we’re already seeing the benefits of having a 24/7 managed IT support team in place. The time saved is enabling our teams of expert sales advisors to work more efficiently and ultimately spend more time with our customers finding them the best car and deal.”
Managing Director at BOM IT Solutions, Andy Carter, added: “We’re thrilled to be working with City Motors, in their sector they are another of Bristol’s longest-standing, family run businesses. After taking the time to truly understand what it is that City Motors want and needs from its IT infrastructure, we have created a bespoke support package to support a 21st Century car dealership.
“The whole BOM IT team is really excited to see what we achieve alongside City Motors, now and in the future.”
About BOM IT Solutions
BOM IT Solutions is a people-first technology service provider based in Bristol, founded over 60 years ago. With over 150 customers, BOM IT Solutions specialises in delivering appropriate technologies to new and existing customers spanning across Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Network Services and Telecoms.
Its customer base spans across every facet of industry, from finance to automotive, from SME to Enterprise, enabling BOM to provide specialist advice and best practice methodologies, alongside the products, services and support that is required by any given industry.
BOM IT Solutions provide Cloud Migration services, Email Security, all things Cyber Security and IaaS services from world leading vendors, with a focus on business systems integration and alignment. By keeping up with continual IT change and expanding upon a range of technologies, BOM has become the leading, preferred and often sole IT partner for many businesses in the South West and Wales.
About City Motors and The Carco Group
The Carco Group, the parent company of City Motors and S J Cook & Sons, is a family run business in Bristol which was established more than 90 years ago. The group comprises of four main New and Used car dealerships: City Motors Renault (Pioneer Park, Bristol),City Motors Dacia (Pioneer Park Bristol), City Motors Citroën (Castle Court, Bristol), City Motors Independent Volvo Specialists (Castle Court, Bristol), S J Cook & Sons Renault (Staple Hill, Bristol) and S J Cook & Sons Dacia (Staple Hill, Bristol).
