The winner of the Dealer Group of the Year (more than 10 sites) category in the 2022 AM Awards is Arnold Clark Automobiles.

Our winner has thought out of the box to help consumers make their buying decision while continuing to adapt to industry-wide changes.

In an average year Arnold Clark delivers remarkable results. Yet in the exceptional 2021 trading year for the industry our judges felt that this dealer group’s performance was astounding, with a return on sales of 5.6% from revenues that exceeded 2019’s. And reinforcing the financial data is the way that the group is investing in both its own future and its customers’ future, with showroom and digital resources, activities to support local communities, and the launch of an Innovation Centre which allows motorists to experience electric cars from a raft of different brands in one location – and without being sold to.

That Innovation Centre, which doesn’t sell but which can help customers gain enough EV confidence to make up their minds, has proven so successful that more are planned to open in 2022. In addition, the company is rolling out its own electric vehicle approval programme so that all employees are trained on alternative fuelled vehicles and can give consumers confidence that they’re receiving correct, well-researched information.

More innovations happen behind the scene at Arnold Clark, such as digitising showroom processes to minimise customer signatures, development of a bespoke enquiry management system for omnichannel usage, a branch team reward which sets clear goals for an entire branch to earn bonuses together, and the ‘Think Customer’ initiative which enables anyone to put forward to the directors any ideas that could improve the customer experience.

Its number of click and collect sites is increasing, and as a group Arnold Clark is rolling out a sustainability strategy to cut carbon output.

This win means Arnold Clark has collected this trophy in seven of the last 10 years. It’s a business that some industry veterans describe as an unstoppable motor retailing machine. That shows little sign of changing.

 

Finalists:

• Arnold Clark Automobiles
• Marshall Motor Holdings
• Perrys Motor Sales
• Peter Vardy
• Steven Eagell Group
• TrustFord