Motorcycle dealerships in England poised to reopen in June

Car and motorcycle dealerships will be permitted to reopen in England on June 1 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the government will loosen the lockdown regulations for non-essential businesses.

As part of his daily briefing on Sunday, PM Johnson said shops will be allowed to open their doors from that date, provided the companies can meet strict COVID-19 guidelines to protect shoppers, such as social distancing.

Dealerships across the UK have been closed since March 23 after lockdown measures were initiated to stem the spread of the coronavirus by limiting movement. These restrictions have eased in recent weeks, but non-essential outlets – which covers dealerships – have remained closed for the time being.

Now, however, dealerships and markets are set to reopen from June 1, with other non-essential retail outlets allowed to open from June 15 onwards.

“[Outlet must] meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards,” PM Jhnson said in his statement. "Shops now have the time to implement this guidance before they reopen. This will ensure there can be no doubt about what steps they should take."

The move will provide the motorcycle industry in the UK a chance to recover lost revenue from sales, which have been hit hard since the lockdown process was initiated.

In April, UK motorcycle sales were down 83% year-on-year to bring the year-to-date sales down to 31.1%.

With the end of May now approaching, sales are unlikely to be any better with manufacturers bracing for a second full month of poor figures.

However, the MCIA is confident the long hiatus will provide a stimulus to the market from June onwards, with an improvement in the situation to help balance sales to a year-long decline of 18.2% compared with 2019.