Pioneering Agency Restructure of Lotus’ Uk Retail Network Complete

[Mark H]

• Lotus is the first automotive brand globally to move its entire home market network to full agency agreement across all vehicle lines
• 13 retail agencies with a restructured authorised repairer network now in place
• Restructure completed ahead of Emira customer deliveries later this year
• UK network ‘open points’ soon be fully covered by new Agent appointments

 

(Hethel, UK – 18 January 2022) – Lotus has completed the restructure of its UK retail network with an agency agreement now in place across 13 sites.

It means Lotus is the first automotive brand globally to be live in its home market with this new retail sales model, across all vehicle lines. This pioneering approach is in the spirit of the Lotus brand, reinventing the retail experience for its customers through a direct relationship that puts them at the very heart of the transaction.

Timing of the restructure is linked to the ongoing transformation of Lotus from a UK sports car company to a truly global performance car business and brand. In December 2021 it was announced that production of the Elise, Exige and Evora had ended, so the restructured UK network is in place ahead of the start of production of the Emira in the coming months.

Geoff Dowding, Executive Director, Sales and Aftersales, Lotus, said: “This UK network restructure marks a watershed moment for Lotus as the transformation of the business and brand continues. We now have the right partners in the right locations with the right business model, and again Lotus is pioneering. We are the first OEM to have an agency agreement in place right across the UK network.”

He concluded: “This is an exciting development and it’s just the start: we will be announcing several more in the coming weeks and months.”

Eleven of the 13 agency locations also operate as an authorised repairer, while the remaining two are supported by three standalone authorised repairer sites.

 

Lotus retail agencies (13):
NAME	OPERATOR	LOCATION	AUTHORISED REPAIRER
Lotus Birmingham	Rybrook	Hockley Heath, Birmingham	Y
Lotus Bradford	JCT600	Bradford, West Yorkshire	Y
Lotus Bristol	Rybrook	Cribbs Causeway, Bristol	Y
Lotus Essex	Endeavour	Colchester, Essex	Y
Lotus Exeter	Hendy	Marsh Barton, Devon	Y
Lotus Glasgow	Park’s	Hamilton, Lanarkshire	Y
Lotus Kent	Caffyns	Ashford, Kent	Y
Lotus Nottingham	Central	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire	Y
Lotus Prestbury	Oakmere	Prestbury, Cheshire	N
Lotus Poole	Hendy	Poole, Dorset	Y
Lotus Silverstone	Silverstone	Silverstone, Northamptonshire	Y
Lotus Southampton	Hendy	Eastleigh, Hampshire	Y
Lotus Surrey	Bell & Colvill	West Horsley, Surrey	N
Supporting Lotus authorised repairers (3):
Lotus Cheshire	Oakmere	Northwich, Cheshire
Lotus Norwich	Stratton	Long Stratton, Norfolk
Lotus Surrey	Bell & Colvill	Guildford, Surrey

 

All 16 UK sites will soon feature the exterior signage elements of the new Lotus retail identity – launched last year – and will be adding interior elements throughout 2022.

Trevor Weller, Director, Global Retail Development, explained that the UK network ‘open points’ will soon be boosted by more new appointments where it is in the interest of our customers. “We are extremely close to finalising new agreements in North London, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Milton Keynes, Sussex, Newcastle and Sheffield. These new locations will enable Lotus to maximise coverage across the whole of the UK, and provide an excellent customer experience, allowing potential customers across the UK easy access to experience the new product range that starts with the Lotus Emira sports car later this year.”

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