PSA Retail, the distribution subsidiary of Groupe PSA, is opening one new Opel site in Cologne today, namely at Raderberggürtel, and will open a second outlet on the Widdersdorfer Strasse.
Opel - PSA Retail in Cologne
With the Raderberggürtel site, PSA Retail will close a former gap for the Opel brand in the Cologne area.
The installation of PSA Retail in Cologne is part of a wider move by the Groupe PSA subsidiary to fulfil its ambition of quickly entering into the circle of the top five distributors of the brand with the lightning-bolt badge in Europe and to contribute to the continued success of the PACE! plan.
To succeed in achieving this ambitious goal, the German market is key. With this in view, the German-first Opel-PSA Retail opening embeds itself in a wider Opel brand, European Business Development strategy, of PSA Retail.
Two well-situated outlets to serve Opel customers in Cologne
The two new sites, ideally situated in the south and west of the city, will deliver the full range of services, including new and used car sales along with after-sales services for Cologne-based Opel customers.
A move that comes as part of a wider European strategy
Distribution of Opel/Vauxhall, following the integration of the two brands in the enlarged Groupe PSA in August 2017, quickly became a strategic target for PSA Retail.
Beginning from nothing in January 2018, PSA Retail will have secured altogether the opening or acquisition of 29 Opel and Vauxhall sites in seven countries (France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland) by the end of 2019.
As from January 2020, PSA Retail will also distribute Opel/Vauxhall original spare parts through its network of 35 spare parts hubs in Europe.
Anne Abboud, Director of PSA Retail, said: “The opening of two Opel sites in Cologne is a major move for PSA Retail as it sustains its ambition to accompany Opel’s ‘PACE!’ plan, as well as to become, in the short term, one of the five top distributors of the brand with the lightning-bolt badge. A wider and profitable presence on the German market is obviously a key element to reaching this goal.”
Ulrich Selzer, Managing Director of Opel Germany, said: “The opening of this new point of sale shows how the Opel brand benefits from Groupe PSA. The second new location in the Cologne area will make us even more efficient and open up the local growth potential of Opel in the region. We also want Opel models and services for our customers in places where no Opel dealerships were previously present. At the same time, we want to continue working on the identity and differentiation of the Opel brand.”
A world first and an ambition in support of the Opel brand
An ambitious business development plan for Opel/Vauxhall in Europe
Set to join the top 10 Opel/Vauxhall dealers and aiming for the top 5 in the medium term
PSA Retail in Madrid, Spain
Strengthen intra-group multi-branding for the benefit of customers and operating efficiency
PSA Retail opened in Madrid the first European and global dealership bringing together the Opel, Peugeot, Citroën and DS brands under one roof, with distinct and clearly identified customer pathways. The site also houses a logistics hub for emov, Groupe PSA’s car-sharing brand in Spain.
PSA Retail aims to boost the multi-branding aspect of its offering, and contribute to the success of the Opel-Vauxhall PACE! plan in its core business.
At the end of 2018, nearly 45% of PSA Retail’s network in Europe was already multi-branded; the aim is to bring this percentage to at least 80% by 2021.
Operating in 21 of Europe’s 30 largest cities, PSA Retail is seeking to strengthen its operating efficiency by optimising its property footprint in areas with high operating costs, while providing customers preferential access to the full breadth of the Groupe PSA brands’ complementary automobile offering.
A business development plan in Europe
With 18 new outlets in Europe, 2018 saw the construction of an Opel-Vauxhall development base for PSA Retail.
Working by acquisition and/or pooling, a network base was built across various countries: in the United Kingdom, with 10 Vauxhall sites in Greater London; in France, with the Paris Porte de Versailles, Saint Quentin en Yvelines and Bois Colombes locations; in Spain, with three locations in Valencia and Madrid with the Calle Sinesio Delgado site; and lastly in Switzerland, with the Zücherstrasse location, also opened in December.
This network, built up from scratch in just 12 months, allowed PSA Retail to sell 4,200 Opel and Vauxhall vehicles in 2018.
Set to join the top 10 Opel dealers and aiming for the top 5 in the medium term
In 2019, Germany, Italy and Portugal will join the countries where PSA Retail is already developing an Opel-Vauxhall distribution business. By the end of 2019, PSA Retail is set to operate a total of 25 Opel-Vauxhall outlets.
This fresh ramp-up is expected to bring volumes to 7,300 units, which would make PSA Retail one of the Opel brand’s 10 biggest European dealers in 2019.
In the medium term, PSA Retail aims to be one of the top 5 Opel-Vauxhall dealers. In January 2020, PSA Retail will also integrate the entire range of Opel and Vauxhall original parts into its 35 PSA Retail/Distrigo spare parts distribution platforms.
Anne Abboud, Senior Vice President of PSA Retail, said: “The inauguration of this four-brand dealership on Calle Doctor Esquerdo in Madrid marks big progress for PSA Retail in the business development of Opel-Vauxhall in Europe. It shows how Groupe PSA’s distribution entity is contributing to the execution of the brand’s PACE! plan. By the end of 2019, PSA Retail will have a network of 25 Opel-Vauxhall locations in Europe.”
Xavier Duchemin, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Aftersales of Opel, said: “This is yet another example of how Opel is benefitting from being a member of Groupe PSA. It makes us more efficient and unleashes Opel’s growth potential. Consumers are our focal point, which is why we are starting to offer Opel models and services in places where no Opel dealerships were previously present. At the same time, we plan to continue to work on the Opel brand’s identity and differentiation.”
Calle del Doctor Esquerdo site in short
Located in the heart of Madrid’s Retiro district, PSA Retail’s large commercial space in the Spanish capital features 40,000 sq.m of facilities, which have been totally renovated both aesthetically and in terms of the technologies used to display the vehicles of the brands represented and to perform after-sales work.
In addition to the showrooms, providing a specific pathway for each brand, the space has a large workshop, with a team specialising in the repair and maintenance of the various models of the Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles and Opel ranges. It is an attractive and technologically rich space designed to offer the best service to customers in Madrid.
Opel’s new showroom, with a total surface area of 800 sq.m for new vehicles, has been designed to offer the best possible introduction to the technology and performance of the models of Groupe PSA’s German brand. Designed as a multimedia space, the most comprehensive information on each vehicle is presented on touch screens where customers can browse the technical characteristics and all other relevant information for each car. The Opel used car department has its own space, where each vehicle has undergone a full maintenance review comprising 93 control points and comes with a guarantee of at least one year.
Opel customers can benefit from the support of a leading auto workshop in Madrid, which has spaces dedicated to fast and complex after-sales work, including vehicle electrical and electronics equipment, as well as body, metal and paintwork. The site boasts state-of-the-art diagnostic machines and the most advanced vehicle paint technology, with features such as spectrophotometers and high-performance varnishes for an optimal finish. They can also take advantage of such services as online appointment management, the possibility of financing repairs and the use of a courtesy vehicle, as well as ongoing promotions offering fixed prices for maintenance work.
All of these services are available across a wide span of opening hours, from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday.
• Opel customers will now be served by a new dealership, located on Boulevard Lefebvre in the 15th arrondissement of Paris • Several other locations are scheduled to open in France by the end of 2018 • A European expansion plan is currently in preparation
A new Paris address serving Opel customers in the French capital
PSA
Retail is proud to announce the opening of a new Opel dealership to
customers at 75 Boulevard Lefebvre in the 15th arrondissement of Paris,
its first Opel location in France and in Europe.
Ideally situated on a
high-traffic artery and in close proximity to the Paris ring road
(Porte de Versailles exit), the dealership is expected to sell 150 new
vehicles this year and 400 vehicles on a full-year basis. The site
offers also a full-fledged after sales service.
The dealership became
a reality thanks to an intelligent multi-brand strategy adopted by
Groupe PSA. The site’s original Citroën business will continue to
operate at the same location, but as part of a clearly distinct customer
experience pathway.
New PSA Retail Opel dealerships set to open in France supporting the commercial dynamics of the lightning brand.
The
new dealership is the first step in a strategic PSA Retail growth plan
hinging on the Opel brand in France and, in a subsequent phase, Europe.
Eric
Wepierre, President of Opel France, declares:” The opening of the Opel
site managed by PSA Retail is an excellent news for the brand and its
customers and announces a wider unfolding in the short term within the
‘Ile de France’ region”.
In view of this, PSA Retail can already
announce that two additional Opel dealerships will be opened
successively this year based on an intra-group multi-brand approach, in
the Paris suburbs of Bois-Colombes (92) and Bondy (93).
Plans to open
additional locations in the Hexagon are currently being explored, in
order to contribute to the reinforcement of the brand in France.
A European expansion plan currently in development.
PSA Retail’s growth objectives for Opel is also European wide.
The
distribution group is currently exploring new dealership development
projects to distribute the Opel brand in other countries where it has
already activities, and where the network coverage make sense. A winning
opportunity is one which promises to increase volumes and sales for the
network by distributing the Opel brand as part of a profitable business
model.
Note that, following the announced acquisitions of Now Vauxhall and Go Vauxhall
in January and May 2018, respectively, PSA Retail (throughout its UK
subsidiary Robins & Day) now has a platform for operating 10
dealerships in Greater London to the benefit of the Vauxhall brand.
