Mercedes-Benz vans customers can look forward to the industry’s finest retail experience from the newest member of the manufacturer’s franchised UK network.
LSH Auto UK has added Citan, Vito and Sprinter van models, as well as X-Class pickups, to the Mercedes-Benz cars on display at its stunning new dealerships in Stockport and Erdington, Birmingham.
Although it has not previously represented Mercedes-Benz Vans, LSH Auto UK is steeped in the ethos of the three-pointed star. Its Hong Kong-based parent is the world’s largest Mercedes-Benz passenger car retailer, with 240 sites in Europe, Asia and Australia – LSH Auto UK operates from nine outlets located in and around Birmingham and Manchester.
Developed on a 10.5-acre site just off the M60, the company’s new flagship facility in Stockport boasts Europe’s largest Mercedes-Benz ‘Autohaus’, as well as a workshop, and a high-tech body, paint and repair centre.
Vans have their own, dedicated area within the three-storey, glass-sided showroom, which incorporates customer lounges, an outdoor roof terrace, and a licensed bistro, while the project’s innovative use of green spaces extends to a living ‘green wall’ and contemporary water feature, and an attractive landscaped garden.
LSH Auto UK Managing Director Martyn Webb, enthused: “Mercedes-Benz of Stockport is a landmark destination at which we’re offering van as well as car customers and the general public a unique opportunity to experience Mercedes-Benz and LSH under one highly distinctive roof. It represents a genuine game-changer for the automotive retail sector.
“Our doors are open to everyone. They can come and use a desk, have a coffee or bite to eat, or watch a movie. We even have a golf simulator on site. They don’t need to talk to anyone about a vehicle if they don’t want to. We want this space to be used in innovative ways, and look forward to showcasing its endless possibilities.”
Though not on the scale of its Stockport site, LSH Auto UK’s £15-million investment at Erdington has also delivered an exceptional combination of retail sales and start-of-the-art workshop facilities.
Martyn stressed that rather than viewing it as a mere adjunct to its passenger car operations, LSH Auto UK was fully committed to its new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans, not least because of the huge opportunities it offers to increase both sales and aftersales revenues.
“We’re often asked by car customers whether we can also supply them with a van, and I’m sure the same will be true in reverse, so it’s a new avenue that can only complement our established business,” he said. “Mercedes-Benz Vans, meanwhile, is a brand that has grown very strongly in recent years. With our retail expertise, and particularly our commitment always to put the customer first, we are perfectly placed to help Mercedes-Benz Vans achieve its own strategic ambitions.”
As well as presenting Mercedes-Benz van models in its showrooms, LSH Auto UK has mounted external displays of new and used examples at Stockport and Erdington. It has also allocated dedicated workshop bays to vans at both locations, and put hand-picked technicians through a product-specific training programme.
James Cubitt took up the newly created role of General Manager – Van in June. He began his career 20 years ago with the former Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle franchisee for the West Midlands, and spent his first five years in aftersales before moving into sales. James went on to work for the Mercedes-Benz Retail Group in London, a position in which he was responsible for van sales at several shared car and commercial vehicle sites.
A move to a rival brand saw him restore a failing dealership to profit – and win several national awards, including one for customer service, in the process. His last position, prior to joining LSH Auto UK, was that of Head of Global Sales for a Chinese-owned automotive group’s van and taxi products range.
“Having spent the best part of 15 years working with Mercedes-Benz vans this fantastic opportunity represents something of a homecoming for me,” said James. “With so many cross-over and lifestyle products like the Vito crew van and X-Class today’s range has huge appeal to retail customers, while the fact that I’ve been welcomed back by so many former colleagues with whom I worked previously speaks volumes for the stability of the brand.
“My background with MBRG has also given me a valuable appreciation of how a van sales operation can be integrated successfully within a car environment. Before I accepted this challenge, though, I had to reassure myself that LSH Auto wasn’t just playing at vans as a ‘bolt on’ to its car business – it was immediately clear from my first conversation with Martyn that nothing could be further from the truth.
“Instead, we’ve had a blank canvass to work with and this, coupled with our determination to do things differently and bring a breath of fresh air to the van industry, has allowed us to create a blueprint which is truly unique.”
James initially heads a team of four specialists that will rise in the relatively short term to eight. At this point LSH Auto UK envisages offering a seven days-a-week van sales service, believed to be a first for the sector. Further underlining its innovative approach, those specialists are all high-calibre individuals whose ‘Experience Partner’ job titles reflect their broad range of skills.
“We were keen to move away from the industry convention in which you have sales managers and executives, business managers, and so on,” James explained. “Whether helping to specify the right chassis, commissioning conversions or bodybuilds, arranging finance, or providing part-exchange valuations, our Experience Partners can do it all. This means the customer has a single point of contact through the entire buying cycle, an approach that can only make the process easier and more enjoyable for them.”
In another diversion from the norm, those Experience Partners are not paid commission based on their sales performance. “The only criteria by which they will be measured is the quality of their customer service,” said James. “This accords with our entire approach, which recognises that great experiences lead inexorably to long-term relationships.”
Mercedes-Benz Vans Managing Director Steve Bridge enthused: “We are hugely excited to be welcoming Martyn, James and the rest of the LSH Auto team to the Mercedes-Benz Vans ‘family’. With their fantastic facilities and innovative approach, I’m confident we will soon see many more retail customers and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) converting to the three-pointed star. Having done so, I have every confidence those customers will be able to rely on our products and LSH Auto’s aftersales support to keep their businesses moving.”
