No agency model for Renault

Renault Group UK has eschewed the agency model and made clear its firm commitment to franchised dealerships. John Richardson has been appointed as its new Head of Network Development.

With senior sales and service operational positions at Renault under his belt, Richardson also has industry experience at Ford and Vauxhall.

Network Development Plans

The Renault Group field team, which oversees operations for both Renault and Dacia brands, has also been adapted as part of the new Network Development plans. Equal support will be offered across sales and aftersales under the guidance of Stephen Senior and Kevin Souster respectively.

Ben Fish, Renault Group network operations director, said: “We are not following the agency model adopted by other manufacturers, and firmly see dealers in our plan to drive the success of Renault Group in the UK. Dealers are essential to our customer satisfaction and growth, and their profitability is key. We have firmly structured ourselves to support this with the appointment of John and other changes.”

The new model will focus on supporting the brand’s dealer network to continue delivering an “exceptional customer experience”, while also increasing service profitability and retention across the network.

New Products

Fish added: “What’s exciting is together with our network we have a transformative burst of new products coming within a two-year window. For Renault we have the Megane E-Tech 100% electric launched last year, the Austral E-Tech Full Hybrid SUV coming in June this year and before long, the hotly anticipated fully electric Renault 5 and Renault 4 models.

“For our plans to succeed, with so many new car launches, we must be simple and consistent in our approach and empower our network partners to do what they do best; to deliver an outstanding customer experience.”