10:00 am, January 18, 2022
Lotus has completed the agency sales restructure of its UK retail network.
It said this morning (Jan 18) that a full agency agreement was now in place across all 13 sites, adding that it made Lotus the first automotive brand in the world to be live in its home market with a totally new retail model across its entire nationwide network and across all vehicle lines.
The restructure comes as manufacturing the Elise, Exige and Evora ended last month, making way for the start of production of the Emira, pictured above in a showroom, in the coming months.
Lotus says the timing is linked to its ongoing transformation from a UK sports car company to a global performance car business and brand.
Geoff Dowding, executive director of sales and aftersales at 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 added: ‘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 sites also operate as authorised repairers, with the remaining two supported by three standalone authorised repairer sites.
All 16 sites will soon feature the exterior sign elements of the new Lotus retail identity – launched last year – and will be adding interior elements throughout 2022.
Trevor Weller, director of global retail development, said a number of new appointments would soon be made.
‘We are extremely close to finalising new retail agencies in north London, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Milton Keynes, Sussex, Newcastle and Sheffield.
‘These new showrooms will enable Lotus to maximise coverage across the whole of the UK, and provide an excellent platform for us to promote the new product range that starts with the Lotus Emira sports car later this year.’
