Cap Extra User | cap hpi

Ken Brown

Position: Red Book Editor - LCVs

Number: 07841 156 963

Ken is the Editor of CAP’s Red Book Light Commercial Vehicles and Motorhomes. He is responsible for making sure that CAP’s current valuation databases are up-to-date and accurate. This involves researching the entire new and used vehicle marketplace; talking to auction companies, vendor representatives, vehicle manufacturers, leasing companies and dealers. The data that he maintains is extracted and published in the famous CAP Red Book trade guide and CAP for Windows software application.

06/11/2014

When there's no market sentiment

How does CAP set its used LCV values? With so many new LCV models launched over the past year or so and many more to come, you may have wondered how we set their used values in our CAP for Windows product from the day they go on sale and how we set the values in Red Book at a year old when there are often very few, if any, in the used market. Bearing in mind that the aim of Red Book is to reflect...

31/10/2014

LCV Editorial November 2014

LCV Marketplace The limited supply of stock we reported last month continued throughout October with very low entries from some of the larger vendors fuelling suspicion that the market is heading for a supply crisis and putting upward pressure on prices. From our observations at the auctions we attended there was a clear sense of urgency to acquire stock amongst professional buyers which at times...

14/10/2014

Does the badge on the front really matter?

So far 2014 has been a bumper year for new LCV model launches with new products from all the mainstream vehicle manufacturers including Ford, Iveco, Renault, Vauxhall, Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot and Mercedes. You would have to look back as far as 2006 before you’d come across a similar number of LCVs all being launched within the space of a year. It's little wonder that manufacturers are clamouring...

25/09/2014

LCV Editorial October 2014

LCV Marketplace As the summer holiday season drew to a close September got off to the usual slow start that we have historically come to expect in the used LCV wholesale market. According to the data we receive from all the main auction centres across the UK, during the first week sales were down by 5% when compared with the average weekly sales for August, whilst auction entries were up by 11.3...

27/08/2014

LCV Editorial September 2014

Considering that August is the most popular time for people to take their summer holiday break, the auctions we attended seemed reasonably busy and most lots appeared to be selling on the day. At some of the sales there were noticeably more non-trade buyers around but overall they were outnumbered by professional trade buyers of which only a few familiar faces were conspicuous by their absence...

24/07/2014

LCV Editorial August 2014

During the early part of the month the auctions we attended appeared busy enough with most lots selling on the day, however, with the summer holiday season rapidly approaching, by the middle of the month things started to change and the expected seasonal downturn in demand began to take effect. Consequently, on average used LCV wholesale market prices are down by around 2.18% in this edition but...

24/06/2014

LCV Editorial July 2014

Contradictory research evidence gathered throughout June suggests that the used LCV wholesale market is in a state of flux. Up until around the middle of the month auction attendances hadn’t really increased much beyond the levels we were seeing just after the Easter holidays. Bidding activity was painfully slow at times with auctioneers often struggling to gain starting bids. With many lots...

14/06/2014

Competing theories can be good for market explanations

I’m frequently asked closed questions about how the used LCV Market is performing or I’m asked to provide a written response to a statement by someone which makes an assumption about why the used LCV market is performing in a certain way. It goes without saying that I don’t always agree with some of the assumptions they make, in which case I try to be diplomatic with my reply, but the short...

27/05/2014

LCV Editorial June 2014

The slowdown in the used LCV wholesale market we reported in last month’s edition has continued along the same path. We placed this down to the seasonal effect of the Easter Holidays, however, this seems to have continued longer than expected with considerably lower auction attendances and sales conversion rates evident throughout May. Discerning professional buyers appeared to be more selective...

08/05/2014

LCV Editorial May 2014

LCV MARKETPLACE With the Easter Holiday break looming the expected lull in demand became evident by the end of the second week of April. Whilst auction attendance levels remained healthy at the sales we attended, there appeared to be fewer professional buyers around with many of the familiar faces we’d expect to see missing. Buying activity was noticeably slower at times, and, for the first time...