Evans Halshaw has opened its first Car Store in Birmingham. The store has almost 300 used cars on site with access to a further 20,000 across the network.
Birmingham Car Store is the first of 40 new stores announced by Pendragon CEO Trevor Finn. The UK’s number one dealer group has been running the rule over its supermarket proposition for some time.
It recently announced that it was rebranding its loss-making Quicks supermarket business as Evans Halshaw. Over the years Finn has argued that Quicks enabled Pendragon to test out retail ideas for used cars with relatively low risk.
Last month Pendragon announced a record used performance with like-for-like gross profitability up 6.2% or £6m, assisted by the launch of its Sell Your Car and Move Me Closer market initiatives.
Finn said: “With the retail landscape in the UK changing, we decided to create an environment that would address the modern consumer’s requirements the desire for wide choice, outstanding value and great service, all at the customer’s convenience.
“All these things have been brought together within a modern retail environment for our used car customers. “We plan to expand our footprint considerably over the months and years ahead through a programme which will see us embracing new retail formats in areas where we currently have little representation. Birmingham Car Store is the exciting first stage of this programme.
“Due to its thriving economy and large metropolitan area, Birmingham was a natural choice for our first Car Store and its size means customers have a great choice of used vehicles.”
Dealer Principal Mark Townsend said: “This new store puts the customer first and is designed to make the process of browsing and buying a car easier and more enjoyable.”
“When you walk into the Car Store, the first thing you’ll notice is that there are no cars inside the retail space. In fact, it’s been designed to feel as relaxing as possible, an area where people can enjoy a coffee and ponder their options once they have browsed the vehicles outside.”
