12:15 pm, October 18, 2016
CITROEN has opened a pop-up retail store at Westfield Stratford City shopping centre.
The retail space is part of an ‘urban’ experiment by the French manufacturer as it explores new ways to reach customers, writes Darren Cassey.
At the launch of the new Citroen C3, the company said that the supermini was at the forefront of its rebranding as it aspires to be an iconic brand with products people are proud to own.
Citroen wants to increase sales by 13 per cent by 2021 and one of the ways it aims to do this is by appealing to a new, younger demographic. The new C3’s funky styling and extensive personalisation options demonstrate this, but the plan goes deeper than just putting youth-oriented cars in showrooms.
The company’s new urban project sees retail spaces opening in inner city locations. Citroen UK brand director Bek Hassan told us: ‘It’s about identifying that customer habits are changing.
‘People want convenience and we’ve got to give the customer what they want rather than imposing what we want on them.
‘Ultimately, the idea is to put the car in front of the customers. Westfield has huge footfall, so we think it’s a great way for us to get our new products, our new image of Citroen, out in the mass market.’
Hassan said that while he expected to see more stores appear across the country, the experience was very much intended to work alongside traditional dealerships.
‘We don’t foresee any change in dealership existence, this is complementary or supplementary rather than instead of,’ he said.
The Citroen stand opened at the Westfield Stratford City at the beginning of October and is part of a 15-month partnership.
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