Renault is one the few remaining carmakers to operate a tiered dealer system with main, satellite and retail dealerships. It means privately-owned outlets are often dealing through larger multi-franchise groups and smaller dealers have struggled to meet the targets of the Dealership 2000 standards programme. The company's own Renault Retail Group has had to step in, notably in north London where it will soon run all the sites. There are some open points but, in the longer term, it remains to be seen what effect the alliance with Nissan will have on the UK network.