Worldwide - The automotive industry is extremely turbulent and DS Automobiles is moving fast forward. Extending the dealership network is the key element to grow constantly and it is an essential part of sharing the automotive market globally. The action of network development demands a great deal of practises and a specific approach distinct from other management practises. This approach is called Programme Management and it is possible to be provided merely by a global company with a sufficient geographic cover.
ARCADIS is a time-tested choice of Programme Management provider not only because of its global coverage yet also due to a great amount of experience gained. In particular, Arcadis Czech Republic has brought up an experienced Automotive Team which provides a certain range of programme services to succesfully manage the brand standards delivery and ultimately expands the dealer’s business.
One of these professionals is Matouš Urbánek. Matouš is our project manager and he has been succesfully working on the demanding DS Automobiles Brand Standards implementation in 14 countries yet. One of these has been a very specific car market, Norway.
It always feels great when you cooperate with such enthusiastic partners.
Bertel O. Steen, a private Norwegian DS importer, and carefully chosen DS dealers have been awesome partners enabling a smooth delivery of the roll-out’s 1st phase among strategic Norwegian locations.
The DS Automobiles brand image is well known there due to the iconic car models such as the Citroen DS 21. Many dealers have their piece of it proudly placed at their showrooms. It is hard not to notice how enthusiastically they talk about the brand. Their fathers usually owned a Citroen DS, there is a noticable rapport with the brand. The dealers appreciate a very sophisticated DS showroom environment with a hint of French boutiques and avant-garde elegance which highlights the premium DS cars as showroom gems. The customers describe DS showrooms as a "completely different universe" in comparing with the premium competitors, which perfectly supports the sale volumes.
Nevertheless, it is not easy to achieve the demanding brand standards. For instance, we are to use special paints, which are not easily available in the country yet we found a solution. Handling premium materials and finishes is an obvious brand standard. These are manufactured in France and a precise delivery planning is a must. I have to admit that is so satisfying to see DS sites completed and their owners pleased about the result.