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Rapleys picks-up on emergence of pop-ups and convenience retailing for car sales
The UK is seeing the emergence of an increasingly polarised market in the property market.
That’s the view of property consultant Rapleys which sees a growing divide between some of the biggest dealer developments currently under construction and the growing number of pop-up businesses.
“In the last few years we have seen an emerging trend of polarisation in the automotive sector,” said Rapleys senior associate Dan Cook.
“On the one hand brands such as Kia, Audi and VW have opened very large and expensive multi storey dealerships in prime locations such as on the M4 at Brentford.
“And on the other hand, many dealers have followed the European model of opening pop-up stores in shopping centres, including in the last 12 months,” he said.
Recent pop-ups in the UK include:
- Mercedes-Benz Retail at the Bullring in Birmingham
- Audi at Westfield in Stratford
- Infiniti at Westfield in Stratford
- Tesla at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol
- Rockar and Hyundai at Bluewater in Kent
Innovative Rockar store in Bluewater shopping centre selling hyundai
Cook said as the internet continued to play a prominent role in car sales, the trend for convenience was set to continue. But at the other end of the scale were the large flagship dealerships being constructed.
“The scale the investment by manufacturers and dealer groups shows no sign of abating with a number of new dealerships either opening or being announced in the last three months,” said Cook.
Rapleys cited a number of major developments:
- Norton Way Group’s 41,000sq ft Kia dealership in Brentford in August
- Pendragon’s new BMW and Mini facility in Leeds
- Cotswold Motor Group’s new BMW dealership in Shrewsbury
- Glyn Hopkin’s Nissan dealerships in Cambridge and East London
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New BMW and Mini centres planned by Pendragon for Leeds