18 July 2023

As exclusively revealed by Auto Retail Agenda last weekend, Genesis has today announced its UK retail partners, following the luxury brand’s switch from direct sales to the agency model.

Ancaster Group, Arnold Clark, Hendy Group, Holdcroft Group, Pendragon, Richmond Motor Group and Sinclair Group are the seven retail partners set to complement the three existing manufacturer-owned Genesis Studios (the newest recently opened in Edinburgh) and online services.

The retailers attended the Genesis Scottish Open last weekend for a signing ceremony – and “first-hand experience of the Genesis commitment to personalised hospitality and customer service excellence,” said Genesis Motor Europe MD Lawrence Hamilton.

The new retail partners will be operational from 2024. Their locations have not yet been revealed but will be announced “in due course”.

Hendy Group has since confirmed it will be opening a Genesis Studio in Poole to cover the Southampton territory.

The plan is for around 15 new sites in the UK, in major cities where the brand is not currently represented.

Hamilton said that existing Hyundai retailers were natural targets because “we already know them”.

Hamilton’s short-cuts

Speaking earlier this year to Auto Retail Bulletin, Hamilton explained how he had joined Genesis in September 2022 to aid the agency retail sales drive “because I’ve done it before… I know where the short-cuts are”.

He led Genesis Canada as it switched to retail sales, where the brand discovered that 1 in 2 customers were being introduced to Genesis through physical retailers.

Retailers “know their local market far better than me… they understand the nuance, they have a place in the community, and this will be pivotal to the growth of Genesis”.

In Europe, it is the UK and Germany who are making the switch from direct to agency. Retailers will operate a fixed-price, commission-based model.

Commission will be based on sales in each retailer’s region, but it is not a strictly fixed amount – instead, it is based on customer feedback.

“If they’re unhappy, points may be deducted, and commission may be lost.”

Read the full interview with Genesis Europe MD Lawrence Hamilton on Auto Retail Bulletin: https://tinyurl.com/mr35zj3c

Tags: agency, Ancaster, Arnold Clark, Genesis, Hendy, holdcroft, Pendragon, Richmond, Sinclair