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At first glance the premises of HR Owen’s Maserati London centre look modest, reflecting the space restrictions faced by all dealers operating in the capital.
The approach is low key with the seemingly compact centre located down an unassuming driveway in South Kensington.
Initial impressions are deceiving, however, and stepping inside reveals a tardis-like interior with
a dozen cars on display.
HR Owen’s Maserati business is expanding. Maserati brand director Mark Langfield is now responsible for Maserati outlets in London and St Alban and an aftersales facility in North Acton. A new centre is soon to open in Manchester. Langfield has spent nine years with HR Owen, and several years before that with the previous Maserati importer Maranello Concessionaires.
It is exciting times for the group. HR Owen is now two years into new ownership by the Philippines-based Berjaya Group, while Maserati is looking towards major growth led by the soon-to-arrive Levante SUV.
Have you seen many changes since HR Owen was taken over by Berjaya?
The new owners quickly realised that the best people to run HR Owen were those already in the business and we’ve been given the financial clout to invest. A prime example is our recent acquisition of Bodytechnic, the bodyshop and accident repair business in Slough. We’ve also set our own insurance brokerage, not just for cars but also homes and boats.
What are the particular challenges of running a luxury dealership in central London?
To sell high-end product you want to be in London but the overheads are the major challenge. A large showroom is not cheap. It would be much easier if aftersales was on the same site but the cost means you simply couldn’t do it. Our clientele understand, they are well versed in the collection and delivery process.
How do you measure the level of customer service you are offering?
These days customer service has to be exceptional whether you are a premium brand or not. We use the excellent CRM platform Sales Force. Before we moved to it a few years ago each brand had its own database. We get a much better view now. We also put out a feedback survey to customers after the car is delivered, after an enquiry is closed without a sale, and post aftersales [transactions] The positive feedback is always great to read, particularly as it tends to focus on individual sales executives, and if a negative point flags an issue we work to change it.
How about measuring employee satisfaction?
We’ve just launched an intranet to which all employees have access. We also do a yearly staff survey, which is treated very seriously by senior management. We’ve seen a rise in our net promoter score, which suggests our employees are happy.
How do HR Owen customers buy Maseratis?
It’s dramatically changed for us in the past two years with the arrival of the Ghibli. This has opened up contract hire, which was new to us. The Ghibli has brought in a whole new type of customer.
The natural assumption was that it was another Maserati four-door saloon but with its price we’ve attracted many new customers, from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.
Do customers choose extras such as GAP?
We offer the usual suite of extras, including paint protection, tyre insurance and GAP insurance. We’ve also recently added Smart Repair and we are shortly to add tyre and alloy wheel cover.
Are buyers aware of how affordable the Ghibli is given the perception of the Maserati brand?
Maserati has always had a very high brand perception. I’ve seen that for example with Gran Turismo where buyers admitted they had ruled it out because they thought it would be the price of an Aston Martin DB9 or Bentley Continental. That perception becomes a challenge when buyers are making decisions before they’ve even come into the showroom. It’s a fine balancing act to get across the message of affordability while not damaging that high brand perception. One way with the Ghibli is with contract hire, that works very well for us. The £49,160 starting price is still a lot of money but at a monthly rental of £500 it suddenly becomes affordable.
How do you market your cars to potential buyers?
As cost-effectively as we can as we don’t have huge budgets. We’ve been doing some radio advertising, initially with Classic FM and its very London-centric audience. We’re also very good at digital marketing, driving customers to our websites but without bombarding them with unsuitable content. Mainly, however, it’s about putting the car in places where it will be seen by its likely clientele. There are some great events such as the Barnes Food Fair. We attend as many of those events as possible.
What challenges do you face with Maserati’s growing sales volumes?
Logistics. We’ve seen a near-five-time increase in registrations from pre-Ghibli times and we’ve taken steps accordingly. Our new bespoke service centre has 13 dedicated bays and will become one of Europe’s busiest aftersales facilities as we anticipate future growth.
How are you preparing for the launch of the Levante SUV?
We are very excited by it. It’s a segment that Maserati hasn’t been in before but one which the vast majority of our clients are already in, driving SUVs from other brands alongside their Maserati. In the short- to mid-term we already have the clients to attract into it. It’ll almost be an easier car to retail than the Ghibli was, because that was a whole new market that didn’t fit our database at the time, whereas Levante will.
How was 2015 and what do you expect from 2016?
2015 was a great year, this site finished number one for Maserati registrations in the UK. For 2016 HR Owen has a lot to be excited about with the Manchester centre coming on stream. Levante of course will be a massive additional bonus for us, generating publicity as it’s the first time Maserati has gone into the SUV market. Anything that drives footfall into your showroom is only going to be a good thing.
Factfile
HR Owen Maserati London
Established: 2012 (as Maserati London)
Brands: Maserati
Locations: South Kensington, North Acton (aftersales). Also St Albans, Manchester late 2016
Staff: London sales 9, service 15 (St Albans 8 sales)
Ramps: 13 inc 3 MoT (MoT available to group)
Andrew Charman
