Founding Membership · Now Open
The forecourt
belongs to us.
The Dealers is a membership organisation for UK independent used-car dealers. One voice against the platforms. Shared playbooks. Group buying. And the operations tool we're building together.
You don't have a margin problem.
You have a monopoly problem.
Every month you hand your best margin to a platform that takes more and gives back less. Independents are treated as inventory. We're not.
Auto Trader Group plc, FY2024 annual report. They earn that margin off your forecourt.
What dealers commonly report paying the dominant listings platform per enquiry. You carry the cost. They carry the data.
Independent dealers are price-takers on a market they don't own. That's the fight.
Membership, not a magazine subscription.
Collective voice
One organisation speaking for UK independents - to platforms, finance houses, regulators, and the press. Negotiation power you do not have alone.
Shared playbooks
Member-only operations playbooks: stock sourcing, recon costing, FCA compliance, complaints, GAP, warranties. Written by dealers, kept current.
Group buying
Pooled rates on the tools you already pay for - HPI, warranties, valeting supply, recovery, photography kit. Bigger together.
Operations tool
We are building software for the way an independent forecourt actually runs. Founding Members get first access and shape the roadmap. Honest framing: this is in build, not autopilot.
The Operations Tool.
One board for every vehicle on your forecourt - from lead to sold - with the numbers underneath. No more spreadsheets, no more whiteboards, no more "where's that file".
In build. Founding Members at the Member + Tool tier get first access and direct input on the roadmap. We are not promising AI that does your job - we are building tools that take the admin off your desk.
Preview only - not live data.
Swipe →
You own it. We just built it.
The Dealers is structured as a co-operative. Members own the organisation. Decisions that affect dealers are taken by dealers. No private shareholders extracting value from your forecourt.
Built and operated by the Dealers team - the crew that stands up the organisation, builds the software, and runs the day-to-day. Members own the co-op. We are paid to operate it, not to own it.
Two ways in.
The collective ticket. Voice, playbooks, group buying.
- ■Collective representation
- ■Member-only operations playbooks
- ■Group buying on tools & services
- ■Member directory and forum
- ■Quarterly state-of-the-trade brief
Everything in Member, plus the Operations Tool. Founding price locked in. Tool price rises after the first 50 seats.
- ■Everything in Member
- ■Operations Tool - Founding access
- ■Direct input on the build roadmap
- ■Onboarding session with the build team
- ■Founding-price guarantee
Prices in GBP, exclusive of VAT. Payment via GoCardless Direct Debit on a rolling monthly basis. Cancel any time.
What a collective makes possible
On its own, an independent forecourt has little countervailing power in a market shaped by a few large platforms. Together, a handful of things become possible that no single dealer can build alone.
Shared market intelligence
A clearer view of pricing and demand across the whole market, not just your own stock - so valuation stops being guesswork.
A members' exchange
Move overflow stock to other members and to rent-free buyer channels, instead of leaving cars un-advertised because the per-car cost isn't worth it.
Collective buying power
Better terms on the services every dealer already pays for, negotiated once for the many.
A shared voice
Representation for the independents - the part of the market that currently has almost none.
It starts with the tool. Each forecourt that runs on it makes the collective sharper - and the collective makes the tool worth more than software alone.
Become a Founding Member.
Tell us who you are. We'll come back within one working day with the Direct Debit mandate and your Founding Member pack.
Straight answers.
What exactly is The Dealers?+
A membership organisation - a co-operative - for UK independent used-car dealers. We give independents a single collective voice, a shared knowledge base, group buying power, and software designed for how a real forecourt runs.
Who runs it?+
The co-op is owned by its members. The day-to-day is built and operated by the Dealers team, the crew that stands the organisation up. Strategic decisions that affect dealers are taken by dealers via the member assembly.
Is my money safe?+
Membership is paid by Direct Debit via GoCardless, protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. Cancel any time. No long contract. No equity is offered and no returns are guaranteed - this is a trade membership, not an investment.
When does the Operations Tool ship?+
It is in active build. Founding Members at the Member + Tool tier get first access in waves and shape the roadmap. We will not give a ship date we can't keep. We will not pretend it does things it doesn't.
Can I cancel?+
Yes. Cancel any time. Founding-price lock-in only applies while your membership is continuous.
Is the organisation regulated?+
The Dealers is a trade body, not a regulated firm. Where playbooks touch FCA-regulated activity (consumer credit, GAP, warranty intermediation), we cite the rules - we don't replace your own permissions.