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T H E O N LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E W O R L D W I D E V- T W I N PA R T S , A C C E S S O RY A N D P E R F O R M A N C E I N D U S T RY
Harley-Davidson dealers
report slow store traffic
HE latest quarterly
AMD/Baird authorized
Harley-Davidson dealer
survey (April and May 2014)
reported “weaker than expected
retail, largely as a result of
depressed traffic trend.”
Citing weather as a factor that
continued to play a role especially in
the early part of the survey period,
Baird are now projecting in the region
of 6 - 7 percent US retail growth for
the year, but that by excluding the
impact of Street bikes shipped into the
Rider Academy training program,
Baird is modelling 3 – 4 percent retail
growth.
66 percent of dealers surveyed said
that customer traffic in April and May
was worse than expected, with 36
percent saying that new bike retail
sales failed to meet expectations.
However, Baird are reporting that
used bike sales in April and early May
were running at some 7 percent up
year on year.
Internationally, Baird’s research
T
suggests that new unit retail sales
were down in Canada, but strongly up
in Europe and other international
markets.
Dealer sentiment was mixed with
one telling us that the “Rushmore
bikes [are] having little spill-over to
other models,” and another saying
that they were “down this year about
25% in new bike sales.”
One dealer stated that “floor traffic
is down 5%,” and another that they
were “down 20% in floor traffic”;
however, another dealer reported
“April traffic was up 23%” and that
by mid-May their MTD (Month to
Date) was running at +5%.
The one thing that all dealers are
agreed upon is the impact of the
weather, and by way of a wider
perspective one dealer told us that he
had just attended a MotorCo Town
Hall and that “most sentiments are
the same – current conditions and
outlook ratings are up across the
board after being down since the
economy took that hit.”
Dealers indicated that new bike
inventory remains generally lean, with
83 percent indicating that it is “too
low” or “about right” for this time of
year.
However, dealer responses suggest
that the delayed start to the spring
selling season has resulted in pockets
of excess inventory in some models,
but that Rushmore inventory remains
“tight.”
Used bike inventory appears
appropriate for this time of the year,
with 69 percent of dealers reporting
that used inventory is “too low” or
“about right.”
Baird say that overall lean channel
inventory levels are leaving dealers
willing to stock more units, which they
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>>
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Continued on page 11 >>>
Soft Hearted
Killer
Peder Johansson, the owner of Hogtech in Sweden, combined his
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JULY 2014
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