PSA opens first multi-brand dealership to include Opel

30 January 2019

PSA Group has opened its first multi-brand showroom to feature its Opel acquisition, together with a logistics hub for its emov car-share brand.

The dealership in Madrid comprises Opel, DS Automobiles, Peugeot and Citroen, and features distinct and identified customer pathways for direction to each specific brand. PSA Retail, the dealership arm of the Group, is aiming to use the new store to boost awareness of its multi-branding offering, while also contributing to the Opel, and its British arm Vauxhall, PACE! restructuring plan.

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 up to at least 80% by 2021.

In a statement, the company says that 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.

With 18 new outlets in Europe, 2018 saw the construction of an Opel-Vauxhall development base for PSA Retail. Working by acquisition and pooling, a network base was built across various countries. In the United Kingdom, PSA Retail opened 10 Vauxhall sites in Greater London, while in France it expanded with the Paris Porte de Versailles, Saint Quentin en Yvelines and Bois Colombes locations. Spain saw the introduction of three locations in Valencia and Madrid with the Calle Sinesio Delgado site; and lastly Switzerland’s ZÜcherstrasse location 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. 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.

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.’

Last year saw the French manufacturer achieve record sales due to the integration of full-year Opel and Vauxhall numbers into its results for the first time since the company bought the brands in 2017. PSA Group sold 1.8 million cars last year, up 32.8%, and even remained strong over the last four months of 2018 thanks to its readiness for WLTP whereas many competitors struggled.