LONDON: Sales of new vans hit a record high in the last quarter, driven by a boom in home deliveries of online purchases.
There were 97,775 vans registered in the first three months of 2015, up 22.3% from a year earlier, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT).
When lorries were included, a record 108,456 commercial vehicles were registered in the quarter, an increase of 24%.
The sales showed a big turnaround for the commercial vehicle sector, which was hit hard by the recession. Annual registrations fell 43% to 221,132 between 2007-09.
The SMMT said the surge reflected growth in UK consumer confidence. Households were spending more on goods and services, and businesses that had held off investing in new vehicles were now buying vans to deliver those items.
Mike Hawes, the SMMT chief executive, said: “As business confidence grows, demand for the latest vans and trucks is now back to pre-recession levels – outpacing the rest of Europe. Demand for vans is particularly strong as home deliveries continue to grow in popularity.”
Online spending exceeded £100bn for the first time last year as consumers increasingly shopped on smartphones and tablets. The internet makes up almost a quarter of all retail sales, according to the consultants CapGemini.
Britain is Europe’s third-biggest market for vans and trucks. UK growth far outstripped that of Europe’s two biggest markets: in Germany, registrations rose 3.4%, while in France they fell 8.1%.
Commercial vehicle sales are good news for the UK automotive industry. The arrival of the new “15” number plates helped push new car sales to a 21st-century high in March, continuing a run of 37 months of growth.
