Peugeot has begun introducing a new corporate identity across its 360-plus dealer network after a successful pilot scheme in Derby.

Mirroring Toyota's £40m revamp scheme, announced in March, Peugeot dealerships will be encouraged to have a much more welcoming atmosphere, less reliant on salesman's patter than on meet-and-greet hosts, soft furnishings, children's play areas, subtle lighting - and sales staff in the shadows waiting to be summoned at the appropriate time.

The new corporate identity was piloted at the Robins & Day outlet, Pavilion Motors, in Derby and is being introduced in new-build sites around the country. Peugeot is waiting for the outcome of next year's Block Exemption review before it extends the new image across its UK network.

Each element of the corporate identity can be adapted to meet the budget, timescale and individual requirements of dealerships, and dealers are free to choose how, when or, if they introduce the new look.

A Peugeot spokesman said it wanted its dealerships to be less “intimidating”.

“Rather than having a salesman on the sales floor, there will be someone to meet-and-greet, who will make the customer comfortable and offering them a drink. And only introducing the sales staff when the time is right,” he said.

Peter Haynes, who has worked for Peugeot for 11 years, most recently as a zone manager, has been appointed to head up the changes, which involve property revamps together with staff training, through a new business institute.

Archive: 'Toyota in £40m network boost' (March 1, 2001)