Autocar UK – 14 August 2019

MERCEDES STOCKPORT INSIDE STORY

14 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 51

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Targets are the

foundation of

the opposite of

good retailing

a

NUMBER CRUNCH

£65m

cost of buying and

building on site

10.5

acres of land

70

new cars will

be on display

100

used cars

30

number of

servicing bays

6

number of fast-track

servicing bays

that guarantee a one-

hour turnaround

researching the service industry.

“Many modern car dealership

groups are great retailers,” says

Webb. “But the absolute game-

changer will come when we really

put the customer first. You’ll have

read that statement countless

times before, of course, but the

truth is, I believe, that for as long

a s w e h av e t a r ge t s t o h it f r om t he

manufacturer then we’ll never truly

put the customer’s needs as the

undisputed priority. What you end

up with is a series of compromises.

Targets drive the wrong behaviours

and are the foundation of the

opposite of good retailing.”

The answer, Webb believes, must

come from the top down, but if the

Service^ industry^ sta

ff have^ been^ recruited

The dealership is

Mercedes’ largest in

the whole of Europe

Customers can enjoy

barista-made coffee

and even a movie

ide a of Me r c e de s – w it h t he f a c t or ie s

it mu s t k e e p r u n n i n g i n orde r t o

remain sustainable – dropping

targets sounds somewhere between

fanciful and ridiculous, Webb

c ou nt e r s b y s u gge s t i n g t h at t he mov e

to leasing and perhaps subscription

models provides the perfect

opportunity for change.

“We have spent months studying

retailing from every angle,” he says.

“We are in a position where we can

stick our head in the sand or we can

c h a n ge. I f y ou ju s t w a nt t o s e l l c a r s ,

that’s fine – but it reinforces the idea

t h at bu y i n g a c a r i s t o b e e ndu r e d ,

not enjoyed. Take, for example,

P r i m a rk , w h ic h h a s ju s t op e ne d it s

bi gge s t- e v e r s t or e. It ’s no a c c ide nt

that it has put a restaurant in there,

a hairdressers and more. They are

bringing people into their space, and

that means a visit is an experience,

as opposed to one where you go in

because you’ve got to.”

All of which raises the thorny issue

of the potential for this most amazing

of s pa c e s t o b e a w h it e e le ph a nt ,

partly because there aren’t enough

customers to justify its scale and

partly, research suggests, because

customers increasingly favour online

buying over physical shopping.

“Some will want to buy online,

but digital isn’t one-dimensional,”

says Webb. “Some people may never

w a nt t o s e t fo ot on ou r pr e m i s e s ,

and we must cater to them, but some

• I suspect the majority – will want

to choose the car online but collect

it in person. The key is to ensure we

of fe r a n e x p e r ie nc e e v e r y one w a nt s

to be involved in.

“We haven’t just built this place

through vanity. There is science

behind our instincts. We know the

de mo g r aph ic s of t he a r e a w e a r e i n ,

we know the ownership profiles of

our customers in the area, we know

the sorts of cars people in the area

w i l l w a nt t o bu y. We k now t h at w e

can pay off the investment in 10

years, and we expect the physical

retail presence to have a significant

value in a decade’s time.

“Everything about this place is

built around the long term – except

perhaps the Three-Pointed Star,

because someone in Asia has gone

and built one that’s 6.5 metres high.

I f e v e r y t h i n g go e s t o pl a n I m i g ht

have to address that.” L