Pioneering agency restructure of Lotus’ UK retail network complete
- 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.
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Lotus retail agencies (13):
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NAME |
OPERATOR |
LOCATION |
AUTHORISED REPAIRER |
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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 |
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Supporting Lotus authorised repairers (3):
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Lotus Cheshire |
Oakmere |
Northwich, Cheshire |
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Lotus Norwich |
Stratton |
Long Stratton, Norfolk |
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Lotus Surrey |
Bell & Colvill |
Guildford, Surrey |
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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.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
For more information please contact the Lotus Communications team:
James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications
+44 (0) 7384 830903
Rob Borrett, Head of Media and Launch Programmes
+44 (0) 7718 560789
Richard Yarrow, Head of News and Technology Communications
+44 (0) 7471 994525
Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager
+ 44 (0) 7802 918662
Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press and Digital Media
+44 (0) 7909 813785
The Lotus media site – https://media.lotuscars.com – contains news, images, specifications and full details of current models, as well as heritage cars and engineering technology.
For the latest news and information from the Lotus PR Team please follow:
https://twitter.com/LotusCarsPR
https://www.instagram.com/LotusCarsPR
For Lotus Cars social media please follow:
https://www.facebook.com/LotusCars
https://www.instagram.com/lotuscars
https://www.youtube.com/grouplotus
https://www.linkedin.com/company/group-lotus
About Lotus
Lotus Cars is based in Hethel, Norfolk, UK, and is the global HQ for sports car and hypercar manufacturing operations, the Lotus Advanced Performance Centre and the iconic 2.2-mile test track. Lotus Cars builds world-class high-performance cars, born out of legendary success on the racetrack including 13 FIA Formula 1 world titles and many other championship honours. In July 2021 Lotus unveiled the all-new Lotus Emira, its last petrol-powered sports car and best-of-breed, and in July 2019 it launched the Evija, the world’s first all-electric British hypercar. Customer deliveries of both cars will begin during 2022.
Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. It is internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking engineering and innovative vehicle development. Its expertise extends beyond automotive; in August 2021 a Lotus Engineering-developed track bike helped Team GB’s cyclists win seven medals, including three golds, at the Tokyo Olympics. An international consultancy with offices around the world, Lotus Engineering is headquartered at the Lotus Advanced Technology Centre on the University of Warwick’s Wellesbourne Campus in the UK.
Lotus Tech is the global ‘intelligent technology’ division based in Wuhan, China. Its role is to accelerate innovation in the fields of batteries and energy management, electric motors, electronic control systems, intelligent driving, intelligent manufacturing and many more. Lotus Tech will oversee the manufacture of a range of premium Lotus lifestyle electric vehicles in Wuhan starting in 2022. European operations are based at Lotus Tech Creative Centre, a state-of-the-art design studio in Coventry, UK, and Lotus Tech Innovation Centre, a world-class engineering facility in Raunheim, Germany.
Lotus Group is either the parent company of or associated with the above subsidiaries and others. Lotus Group is part of Geely Automotive, the fastest-growing automotive group in the world. Geely has a 51% controlling stake, with 49% owned by Etika Automotive, a Malaysian conglomerate.
