11:45 am, July 14, 2023
Jaguar Land Rover has given a glimpse of what its dealerships of the future could look like at Goodwood – and there’s no sign of Land Rover.
The manufacturer is showcasing its ‘House of Brands’ concept at the Festival of Speed in a huge stand that looks like one of its Dual Arch dealerships.
Emblazoned across the top of the structure are the logos for the four brands JLR is now pushing – Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar.
However, despite management recently telling Car Dealer that the Land Rover name would play an important part of ‘underpinning the brands’ and would be ‘on vehicles and on premises’, the Land Rover logo is not included on the building.
Our reporters at the event said the only Land Rover signage in the entire display was the small logos on the cars – even the spec sheets of the cars on the walls had no Land Rover logos.
Inside, the huge site has been split into four zones. Front and centre is the Range Rover with two cars on display including the new Sport. The other brands all have their own areas.
The JLR Goodwood stand
The Range Rover area of the Goodwood stand
Defender had its own area split off from the others too
As did Discovery on the stand
Jaguar was relegated to the back of the Goodwood stand
‘You have four very different and distinct sections as you walk through the stand,’ reports Jack Evans from the event.
‘On the left is Discovery and then in the centre, very prominently, is Range Rover with both models on display, and then, on the right, is Defender.
‘At the far end, in an area that feels a little bit shunned away, is Jaguar with an F-Type.
‘The display is very much like a showroom with four pods all divided up into their own specific areas.’
Jaguar Land Rover – or JLR as it is now known – is moving towards a new House of Brands strategy which will see the number of showrooms reduced and agency sales introduced by the end of 2024.
Not all of its dealer partners will represent Jaguar with the number of dealerships for the brand reduced drastically.
The new JLR dealership concept
The Goodwood stand is the first glimpse in public of how the car maker plans to differentiate the brands.
A spokesperson for JLR told Car Dealer that the Goodwood structure was ‘not a retail concept’.
Car Dealer was shown a concept (above) of the new Dual Arch showroom set-up at a recent briefing with the car maker which shows how the brands will be split into zones like those seen at Goodwood.
Fans of the Land Rover brand will be disappointed to see it missing.
In marketing material (above) distributed by the manufacturer, the Land Rover logo has also been relegated to a small size under the four other brands.
Speaking to Car Dealer recently, UK managing director Patrick McGillycuddy said the Land Rover name will continue to play an important role.
He said: ‘Land Rover, rather than being the overarching master brand, becomes the underpinning – it’s the supporting capability of our Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery brands.
‘So when customers see the Land Rover oval it is a reminder – it’s a promise of the authentic capability that is inherent in each of those three brands.
‘It will be on our vehicles. It’ll be on our premises. We absolutely see Land Rover as the underpinning trust mark of those three brands.’
In response to this story, a JLR spokesperson added: ‘This year’s Goodwood Festival of speed sees a new approach to our stand presence.
‘Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands occupy their own space, allowing each of the brands to be presented in their way own unique way, celebrating their individual characteristics.
‘The Goodwood customer stand is curated to give our brands’ clients a unique experience throughout the Festival of Speed, it is not a retail concept. In the UK, retailers will continue to feature the Land Rover trust mark on premises.’
