Based at the new Peugeot Citroën headquarters in Coventry, the group is performing slightly better than last year and Peel claimed a recent head office reorganisation is improving internal efficiency levels.

“I think we’re probably as efficient as we can be, but we constantly challenge ourselves with regard to costs – we have to because the bills for utilities and fuel are constantly rising and our representation strategy means there’s just no way that we can replace big buildings in London with smaller premises.

“But the Peugeot Citroën Retail Group is a big machine and the shift from negative to positive is possible. As I say, additional volume is a key factor, but we need contributions from a number of areas and I believe people can also play a vital role in our plans for growth,” he said.

The belief that each of the 1,850 staff he employs should strive to treat customers as family members has prompted Peel to launch a programme that requires every new employee – from car cleaner to general manager – to attend company headquarters for an induction day held each month. There, they learn about the history of each brand and its ambitions in the marketplace before having individual discussion sessions with him or his directors.

“These last for 15 minutes and are deliberately staged on a face-to-face basis so we can get each new staff member to understand our rationale, see our vision for the future, explain what we’re aiming for in customer satisfaction and appreciate how we expect them to behave each time they meet a customer.

“I don’t come face-to-face with customers, so I need people to represent me on a daily basis. My aim is to show everybody that we’re ordinary, real people who have all come up through the ranks and are not asking them to do anything we’ve not done ourselves. It’s a challenge but the message is getting across and – significantly - our CSI ratings are on the increase,” he said.

Such is the desire to get staff ‘on message’, Peel records a 10-minute video each quarter to underline the fact that they are the group’s sole contact with customers and the importance of treating them in the correct way.

Management at individual outlets are no longer allowed to recruit staff. Instead, the group holds regional recruitment events and takes a particular interest in candidates who are new to the retailing industry.

“I’ve always believed that people who are good at motor retailing tend to stay where they are so I’m not interested in running the risk of inheriting any bad habits gained in previous employment. I’d much rather take on somebody who displays enthusiasm and a bit of personality.

“We need to recruit the right people and I’m very serious about having females in our sales and frontline teams. I’m spending a lot of time investing in our people to deliver the service I believe is essential,” he said.

After a survey showed that repair work was being delayed by lack of parts, sweeping changes have been made to stocking systems and parts are now being ordered in advance for specific service work.

“This change to ordering parameters means we are pro-viding a better service while also carrying 50% less stock and smart operation means we’re replenishing on a daily basis.

“We’ve also started to change the allocation of work in our service bays. Pre-delivery jobs go through one ramp on a continual basis and services are equally predictable, so they are supplied by pre-picked parts. Now we’re starting to have other ramps to deal with non-predictable work that attracts bonus payments, so the technicians are as happy as customers that we’re reaching right first time results. My hope is to apply this across the group, but it is taking time.

“In the more immediate future, I just wish the Government would put a more positive spin on consumer confidence – the negative spin we’re getting at the moment is making life more difficult for everyone.”