Available Car Ltd
Available Car Limited is one of the UK’s largest multi-channel used car buyers and retailers.
Available Car is a family-owned used car retailer, and one of the UK’s leading used car supermarket groups in the East and West Midlands and in the North of England. Winning the ‘Auto Trader Customer Choice Award’ in July 2019, outperforming over 13,000 other car retailers. This award is based on the number of positive reviews left by customers, our replies to both positive reviews and customer concerns, and our consistency and tone. We believe that this shows an unrivalled commitment to providing our customers with outstanding customer service, every time.
The business operates one of the UK’s most popular online clicks and mortar car dealership websites from four vast retail locations. Two are based in the East Midlands, one in the West Midlands and one in West Yorkshire. Each supermarket offers over 30 exciting used car brands, which retail between £4,000 to £34,000 and each one comes with the unique Available Car Price Promise and the Available Car Provenance schemes. Every vehicle is checked and prepared to the highest standards, offering exceptional value for money.
Available Car prides itself on working hard to deliver outstanding customer service to every customer, pioneering a non-motor trade retail concept, which is not to sell cars to customers, it is simply to help them to buy.
The four Car Supermarket sites are located at:
CASTLE DONINGTON
This is the original Available Car site, which opened in January 2002 and extends to four buildings on 12.5 acres. It has in excess of 50,000 square feet of showroom and preparation centres. This head office site currently employs 244 and has the capacity to stock for sale 1,450 cars.
SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD
This site opened in April 2007 and is a two part site with two buildings on 9 acres and 69,500 square feet of showroom and preparation centres. The site currently employs 151 and has the capacity to stock for sale 1,050 cars.
CANNOCK
This site opened in June 2013 and is a 14-acre three-part site with four buildings on 49,000 square feet of showroom and preparation centres. The site currently employs 190 and has the capacity to stock for sale 1,450 cars.
LEEDS, West Yorkshire (M62)
This is the most recent site, which opened for trading in January 2016, and is a 10.07-acre site with 116,000 square feet of showroom and preparation centres. A further 4.7 acres adjoining the site and M62 motorway have been acquired for future development. The site employs 127 and Leeds now has the capacity to stock 1,500 cars for sale. Future expansion plans of the 4.7 acres will enable the site to employ over 320 staff and to stock 2,500 cars for sale.
GRAHAM BELL / AVAILABLE CAR LTD ANNUAL TAX STRATEGY
This tax strategy is in respect of Graham Bell Holdings Ltd and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Graham Bell Ltd, Available Car Ltd and Available Vehicles Ltd (dormant).
This document sets out the group’s attitude towards tax risk and includes the following:
- How we manage our tax risks
- Our attitude towards tax planning
- Our specific tax risk show we work with HMRC
This document complies with the requirements of Finance Act 2016 Schedule 19.
How we manage our tax risks
The group aims to operate with integrity and transparency, to comply with the intent of Parliament as far as the tax regulations are concerned, pay all liabilities on time and file all returns within the required time limits.
The day to day reporting is dealt with by suitably qualified members of the Finance department who will consult with external consultants or tax advisors where appropriate and in particular on anything that is outside of normal operations.
The Group aims to identify inherent risk factors but, given the complex nature of the organisation, singular transactions follow step by step procedures. Any risk factors relate to the volume of transactions and management of this process. Reporting functions are therefore managed through the finance team involving consistency of approach, stable staffing structure, management, and reporting procedures.
The responsibility for the tax affairs of the Group rests with the Directors who in turn delegate day to day management of the Groups tax affairs to relevant members of the finance team.
Our attitude to tax planning
The Group only engages in planning that reflects the genuine economic nature of the circumstances and will never act in a way that we believe could be considered inconsistent with our understanding of the intent of Parliament or which could be contrary to any anti-abuse legislation.
Tax risks
The level of risk management is set so that the director shareholders are suitably protected as they are not involved in the day to day financial management of the Group. The Group places a lot of emphasise on external advisors to review the corporate compliance of the group together with other taxes as appropriate. The fact that such a high level of review is expected form external sources highlights the stakeholder’s attitude to risk and their aim to comply with tax legislation.
Working with HMRC
We aim to engage openly and constructively with HM Revenue & Customs to discuss tax planning strategies, risks and significant transactions relating to our tax affairs. Where necessary we will seek formal or informal clearance from HMRC on tax positions where there may be uncertainty and engage in open dialogue with our dedicated CRM.
We will seek to resolve any issues before returns are filed and to make fair and accurate disclosures in tax returns, reports or other documents required to be submitted to HMRC.
We will aim to work proactively with HMRC and to adhere to timescales to resolve any tax disputes but where recourse is required to the Tribunal we will maintain a professional working relationship throughout the process.
AVAILABLE CAR LIMITED’s GENDER PAY GAP DATA
- Women’s hourly rate is 13.62% lower (mean) and 13.74% lower (median).
- Top salary quartile has 87% men and 13% women
- Upper middle salary quartile has 90% men and 10% women
- Lower middle salary quartile has 79% men and 21% women
- Lower salary quartile has 79% men and 21% women
- 36.21% of men and 35.87% of women received bonus pay
https://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/Employer/CqNV2BQb/2021
ANNUAL PROFIT BONUS STATEMENT
ALL Female and Male employees are included in the Available Car Annual Profit Related Pay scheme as a percentage of salary.
Calculated on Company Net Profit Results and paid each Year End.
ALL COMPANY PAY GRADES AND BONUS STATEMENT
ALL Female and Male employees are paid exactly the same rates of pay for every same job role in all our Branches in all our locations since Available Car Limited was first established in 2002.
MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT
This statement is in respect of Graham Bell Holdings Ltd (The Group) and its wholly owned subsidiaries Graham Bell Ltd, Available Car Ltd and Available Vehicles Ltd (dormant).
This statement is made pursuant to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that The Group has taken and is continuing to take, to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. The Group has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.
Our Business
The Group operates from six sites and retails used cars within the UK. We deal with a mixture of small local businesses along with large UK and ROI based organisations.
Our Policies
We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner and in line with current legislation. These include:
- Anti-slavery policy. This policy sets out the organisation’s stance on modern slavery and explains how employees can identify any instances of this and where they can go for help.
- Recruitment policy. We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK, checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
- Whistleblowing policy. We operate a whistleblowing policy so that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
Our Suppliers
The group operates a supplier policy and maintains a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier.
Training
We regularly conduct training for our procurement/buying teams so that they understand the signs of modern slavery and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain.
Approval for this statement
This statement was reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors on 4th March 2019.