Following The Maverick Group’s appointment by Pendragon, the automotive company have reimagined the dealership experience for their CarStore brand. The new ‘Experience Centre’, designed by the Group’s Mavis branding business, opened its doors in April and offers “first-class in-person experiences for any customer”.
The newly-created 9,800 square metre car retail site in Chesterfield is set to be the prototype for further CarStore developments. Showcasing a new hybrid purchase model, it’s designed to put the customer in control of the retail experience. Along with clearer wayfinders and messaging, the Mavis team have introduced friendly, comfortable interiors, with a café, iPad browsing benches for online searches and booth seating for one-to-one sales interaction. Feature displays, new LED lighting (powered by solar panels on the roof), super-scale TV screens and ambient graphics animate the space and dial up the brand emotion. The new Chesterfield Centre will also offer visitors the opportunity to explore 400 vehicles on-site.
CarStore managing director Mark Akbar said: “We are really excited that our state-of-the-art Chesterfield Experience Centre is opening. We have been looking forward to welcoming the public into one of our new CarStore facilities from the day the plans were finalised and it is fantastic that this day has now arrived. We feel our hybrid approach sets us apart from the competition and new centres, like the Chesterfield facility, allow for first-class in person experiences for any customer, no matter their needs.”
Pendragon’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Costello, was equally enthusiastic: “For us, car buying needs to revolve around the customer. And in many cases, customers still want to visit a physical dealership. That’s why we wanted to make our Centres highly interactive and engaging. The customer can use our hybrid model to tailor their car buying experience both online and/or in our Centres, specifically to their needs.”
Andy Myring, Head of Design at Mavis added “Our aim was to create an engaging space for car buying that felt natural and comfortable. We wanted customers to feel relaxed and make the whole process super-easy. CarStore were very open to new ideas, which gave us scope to innovate and take a fully integrated approach. The physical experience is so important when it comes to the overall brand – it really can be make or break. I’m very proud of what the Mavis team has achieved.”
The re-designed Centres are part of wider CarStore re-brand by The Maverick Group. Since the Group’s appointment by Pendragon in 2020, the Group have launched a major advertising campaign, re-branded nine store exteriors and masterminded partnerships and major sponsorship deals.
