Genesis is aiming to dramatically increase its visibility and market footprint in the UK with the appointment of new retail partners across England, Scotland and Wales.
The Korean premium brand is adopting an agency (direct sales) retail model as it eyes an increased market share of the UK market, having sold around 3000 cars since it came here in 2021.
It has appointed Arnold Clark in Scotland, Ancaster in south-east London, Holdcroft in Cheshire, Richmond in Guildford, Sinclair in south Wales and Pendragon in Leeds.
Ultimately, it plans to sell cars at 15 new sites across the UK.
The move comes as Genesis is merged into the operations of parent company Hyundai Motor UK in a bid to “maximise efficiencies and synergies”, with brand boss Jonny Miller now reporting into company president and CEO Ashley Andrew.
Andrew told Autocar that “on the surface, you won’t notice any difference” as a result of this corporate restructuring, but the changes to the retail network have significant potential implications for Genesis’s performance.
“The point of difference will be what it means for the customer," Andrew said. "It will mean a great deal more convenience, because when we get to 15 partners, [customers] will have that proximity to Genesis. We will be able to reach about 90% of the car-buying market. Our guideline is that you will be able to reach a Genesis retailer within an hour’s drive time.”
Until now, Genesis’s retail presence has by the brand’s own admission been centred on the south-east of England. Its Studio in Shepherd’s Bush has served as its primary physical outlet, along with supporting spaces in Battersea and Edinburgh.
But Miller said in the brand’s first year in the UK, some 50% of sales were outside of this “theoretical scope”, which introduced a new challenge: catering to “the demand to see, touch and feel our cars” from customers in different parts of the UK.
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