By Gilles Guillaume
PARIS (Reuters) – Stellantis will eventually cut around one in five outlets in France, the automaker said on Wednesday, as it seeks to restructure its distribution network to cut costs and prepare for the age of cars electrical.
The Franco-Italian group, whose brands include Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat, is fighting to gain flexibility in its sales network to adapt to new trends and customer demands as cars are increasingly electrified and software driven.
“We will have fewer physical sites,” said Guillaume Couzy, Stellantis country manager for France, but added that there would be “just as much, if not more” contact between the company’s brands and potential buyers. .
The company’s future outlets will be more multi-brand, he added, so customers will find a wider offering at each dealership among the eight brands Stellantis markets in Europe.
The company’s plan to reorganize its commercial relations with dealers, dubbed “New Retailer Model”, is currently in the final phase of discussions between the parties concerned.
New car sales in France fell by almost 8% in 2022, with the slight improvement seen since the summer unexpectedly dying out in December.
(This story has been corrected to change the word to “cut” from “close” in the title, lead)
(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume Writing by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Mark Potter)
Comments are closed.