FEATURE
‘We wanted to change the customer experience for the better’ Rebecca Chaplin sees the revolutionary changes that have taken place at Robins & Day’s new drive-in flagship store.
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obins & Day – PSA UK’s own dealer group – has rebuilt its flagship store in west London from the ground up. The unique Chiswick dealership stretches to the very edges of the site’s boundaries and has no parking outside. Instead, customers drive into the building and park on the first floor. As I make my way up through the four-storey building, it strikes me that the new site is more department store than car dealership. Peugeot, Citroen and DS showrooms are all hived off and the ground floor is dedicated to used cars – all contained inside under the bright lights. Car Dealer visited the dealership for its official opening and chief executive of Robins & Day James Weston showed us around for a special video. He explained how the inspiration for the new layout came from its DS Urban Store in Westfield Shopping Centre, where VIP parking brought customers straight to the front door. That concept was echoed here. ‘The vehicle does the movement on the various floors either for aftersales, repairs or whatever it may be,’ said Weston. ‘It was really important for us because usually the parking at a dealership is behind the used cars and demonstration vehicles, wherever you can find a space. ‘We wanted it to take the centre stage.’ The revolutionary changes aren’t simply driving and parking inside. The layout starts at the centre of the building, where people walk into the aftersales department and beyond that are the showroom floors. It’s almost a reverse Apple Store, where problems are dealt with front and centre, and from there customers move to the three high-ceilinged, brand-orientated showrooms beyond. Weston explained: ‘When the customers come through again, it’s light, it’s airy, you’re straight into aftersales, which is different to a traditional dealership, where aftersales is tucked at the back. ‘What we wanted to do was build something that’s different. We wanted to change the experience behind motor retailing rather than just build a big dealership on layers. ‘We wanted to try and change the customer experience for the better.’ Those walking in on the ground level will find themselves in a used car showroom that occupies almost the entire group floor apart from where the new, state-of-the-art workshop 12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk
Robins & Day CEO James Weston
What we wanted to do was build something that’s different.
