Sadky announced today on their fb page IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! It is with a heavy heart that after twenty five years Italia Moto has decided that we are no longer continuing as a Ducati main dealer from July 2019. This has been the most difficult decision that Phil has made in over thirty years in the motorcycle industry and one not taken lightly. Italia has been and will continue to be a proud advocate for Ducati and we know they will continue to innovate and be at the forefront of motorcycle development and technology, just as they always have. Ducati's future business strategy is different from ours and we feel that we are not able to follow this path, therefore it is time to change our relationship. Looking to our future we would like to assure our loyal customers that we will continue as an independent Ducati specialist, concentrating on the vast back catalogue of bikes that we have been looking after for so many years. We will no longer be able to supply you with a brand new bike but we will always be able to look after your Ducati as we always have. We would like to thank everyone that has joined us on our journey and reassure them that we will be continuing, albeit in a slightly different direction and one that will allow us to deliver even higher standards of the sort of customer care that you have been used to!
Volume car marketing strategy blindly (or more likely, stupidly) being imposed on a small volume motorcycle market. Makes no sense to me at all. Andy
On the plus side, if you still want to use them, they should now be charging independent rates rather than official ducati garage rates
They’re my local dealer and have treated me well over the years. I’ve no reason to believe that is likely to change. Wishing them all the best, and I don’t imagine that trying to balance the relationships they want to have with their customers with the demands of what is now a very corporate part of the Audi family was easy. Shall continue trusting Phil and the team with my bikes.
They’ve had winter rates and discounted rates for older models for a long time. Their prices have been very reasonable, and the service very good.
My local dealer seems to be selling a lot more classic bikes than Ducatis these days. I am hearing much same thing as the OP about being a Ducati main dealer these days.
Personally I hate Ducati dealers looking the same these days, I much prefer the smaller independent dealers that have some unusual bikes and gear to sell, but that’s what Ducati want to stop I guess. It Won’t be long before all Ducati dealers are owned by the big car groups, Stratstone, Sytner, Jardine etc. Unless independents have got a million pound to invest in a new, boring, mirror image of every other dealer in the country. Great shame for Italia Moto....and the others that have lost the franchise over the years.
Triumphs been doing something similar recently in that they are asking many existing dealers themselves to spend a shed load to update and refurb the dealerships to Triumphs corporate standards even if the dealer is super smart and upto date anyway. I wonder if they are using this as a tool to reduce dealer costs by removing dealers?
Not sure, it just seem odd that a number of different and established dealers are losing their franchises, or ending them due to corporate decisions. If you are around Oxford you may have noticed Hughenden M40 is no longer listed as a Triumph dealer and no longer sells brand new Triumphs. Despite their ideal location, 100 yards from the motorway and right on the A40. The dealer even offered to build a larger dedicated show room but Triumph said either move your business or finish.
Because Ducati are providing an attractive product, with full marketing and technical support, which any dealer should find easy to sell then Ducati want a polished dealership to best showcase their products. And dealers have to commit and give something back if they want a slice of an attractive, prestigious and well supported product offer. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
Perfectly reasonable but I do wonder if they are going down the F1 route of pricing their largest market out, in favour of less sales but of a higher cost item causing the slow reduction of customers looking at that product?? Would be interesting to see if Bike shops are going the way of the town pubs and high street
How about some recognition and loyalty, from Ducati, when these dealerships stood behind them, when the product and support wasn't so great.
I've been waiting over two weeks for front (arrived yesterday @OYB) and rear sprockets for enduro2016. It would seem that ducati-uk has teamed up with a Lamborghini parts center. And has caused major problems in customer delays & backlog of kit too be distributed into the uk network.
