Abstract:

This paper examines the financial, economic and market forces that are currently driving change within the auto retailing industry and analyses the likely developments in multi-franchising in Europe to the end of the century. The US has tended to lead the way in developing a whole range of alternative retailing formats. This paper outlines a number of dominant trends in the North American market. The remarkable Cerritos development is used as an example of multi- franchising in its purest form and at its most successful. European markets are approaching saturation and rationalisation of dealer numbers is inevitable. The key drivers of change in Europe are examined and a number of case studies are presented for the UK market to illustrate the issues and potential impact of future multi- franchise development