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Arnold Clark Automobiles

This article is about the car company. For the founder of the business, see Arnold Clark

Arnold Clark is a car dealer based in Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2022, the company has 193 dealerships across the United Kingdom.[2]

Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd.
Company typePrivate
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1954; 70 years ago (1954) in Glasgow, Scotland, UK
FounderArnold Clark
HeadquartersGlasgow, Scotland, UK
Key people
Eddie Hawthorne[1] (CEO and Group Managing Director)
ProductsVehicles
OwnerArnold Clark & Family
Number of employees
11,000 (2020)
DivisionsThe Phoenix Car Company
SubsidiariesArnold Clark Finance
Harry Fairbairn
Websitewww.arnoldclark.com

History

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The company was founded by Arnold Clark, who opened his first showroom in 1954 in Park Road in Glasgow. In 1963, Arnold Clark Finance was launched.[3] In the 1960s the company began rental vehicles and in 1968 took over Grant, Melrose and Tennant giving the company an accident repair centre.[4]

Clark took over other motor businesses such as the Glasgow dealership McHarg, Rennie and Lindsay. Clark's biggest branch was gained through the takeover of Ross of Lochrin in Edinburgh.[5] By 1989, there were twenty two Arnold Clark branches across Central Scotland and one in England. The rental part of the business now had 1400 rental cars and 350 light commercial vehicles.[6] The company also had vehicle contract hire operations in Liverpool and Sheffield.[7] In December 1989, he gained a further 13 dealerships in the North East of Scotland, with the purchase of Ron Hutcheson Motors Ltd.[4][8]

This took the number of people employed by the company to 1300.[7]

In 1994, the company opened its first site in England, in Liverpool.[9] In 1996, Clark agreed deal for site and assets of Glasgow-based H Prosser and Sons Ltd, unaware that the company was imminently to be put into receivership.[10] By May 2002, Arnold Clark had 97 dealerships and with annual sales expected to reach £1 billion, with a claim to be Scotland's largest private company[11] although Grampian Country Foods recorded larger sales for the four years following this.[12]

 
Arnold Clark Motorstore in Nottingham

In December 2003, Arnold Clark acquired the training company GTG.[13] By the end of that year, the company employed 6,000 people and operated more than 120 showrooms across the United Kingdom.[14] In April 2005, the company paid a first dividend to the family trust family that it is co owned by.[15]

In May 2006, the company acquired the BMW and MINI specialist Harry Fairbairn, which had dealerships in Giffnock and Irvine.[16] In August 2006, the company opened a car showroom in the regenerated Glasgow Harbour, Europe's largest.[17] By November 2007, it was approaching a £2 billion turnover.[18] In June 2007, it overtook Grampian Country Foods to again become Scotland's biggest private company.[19]

With the announcement of the Vehicle scrappage scheme in August 2009, Arnold Clark expected to create 700 jobs.[20]

By September 2012, the company was expanding through the acquisition of other dealerships. Fleet sales still accounted for a relatively small proportion of the company's business.[21] The takeover of the Weir group in September 2012 also saw the company expand into the market of Mercedes-Benz.[22] Acquisitions also included a site near Aberdeen, and a dealership and bodyshop in Blackpool.[23]

2014 was their sixtieth year of trading and this was marked with the company’s turnover reaching almost £3 billion, with a rise in used car sales partly responsible.[24] They were involved with the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a partner organisation, helping look after the fleet of official vehicles.[25]

In February 2015, the company undertook a rebranding of their buildings.[26] In 2015, the company took over Ness Motors in Inverness, Elgin and Perth.[27] By September 2016, the company had 200 dealerships and 24 franchises, with a staff of 10,000.[28] Arnold Clark never retired from the company, remaining as chairman until his death on 10 April 2017, at the age of 89.[4]

On 31 January 2019, Arnold Clark completed their takeover of The Phoenix Car Company. Phoenix was a family-run car retail group established in 1993, with dealerships of Kia, Hyundai, Honda, SsangYong and Mazda.

In 2022, in partnership with the FA, the Arnold Clark Cup was founded; an invitational international women’s football tournament hosted in England.

Locations

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In December 2007, the company's Botanic Gardens Garage was designated a category A listed building.[29] It had been built before 1912.[30] The company had plans to demolish the building but later withdrew their plans, and in April 2014, one planning application was granted to convert it into a gym.[31]

The company has a purpose-built head office in Hillington which houses a dealership of Renault, this was completed in 2016.[32]

Awards

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In October 2009, the company won the "Glasgow Business Award" for Apprentice Employer of the Year.[33]

In May 2016, the company's marketing department was named 'In-House Marketing Team of the Year' at The Drum Awards 2016.[34]

In 2022, the company won Dealer Group of the Year as well as Retailer of the Year at the Automotive Management 2022 Awards.[35][citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Eddie Hawthorne wins Outstanding UK Leader award at the Autocar Awards 2021".
  2. ^ "About Us | Arnold Clark". www.arnoldclark.com. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. ^ Swindon, Peter (10 April 2017). "Sir Arnold Clark 1927- 2017: How Scot became Britain's first billionaire car dealer". The Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Pease, Victoria (10 April 2017). "Sir Arnold Clark: How £70 motor turned into car empire". STV News. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  5. ^ Webster, Jack (6 August 1984). "Arnold Clark, the car dealer who has never been money conscious". The Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Long pedigree keeps motor dealership in pole position". The Herald. 12 April 1989. p. 5. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  7. ^ a b Hunston, Hugh (15 November 1989). "Arnold Clark in #2m takeover". The Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Motoring businessman Ronald Hutcheson". The Courier. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. ^ Cameron, Greig (4 October 2013). "Turnover at Arnold Clark up to record £2.48bn". The Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  10. ^ Tinning, William (25 January 1996). "Car firm sold on brink of collapse Buyer Clark shocked to learn of receivership". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Arnold Clark on route to sales of £1bn". The Scotsman. 26 September 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Food firm 'biggest' in Scotland". BBC News. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Arnold's £10m for new trainers". Daily Record. 10 July 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Car tycoon's pride at honour". BBC News. 31 December 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Sir Arnold Clark's family trust receives first dividend". The Herald. 19 April 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Arnold Clark empire powers ahead Fairbairn acquired in multi-million-pound deal". The Herald. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  17. ^ "Clark opens Clydeside showroom". The Herald. 12 August 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Arnold Clark buys Newcastle's Patterson". The Scotsman. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  19. ^ Murden, Terry (24 June 2007). "Clark overtakes Grampian to be biggest firm". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Arnold Clark to create 700 jobs". BBC News. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  21. ^ Dorsey, Kirsty (29 September 2012). "Dealership acquisition still the driving force for Arnold Clark". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  22. ^ Ranscome, Peter (3 September 2012). "Weir is the latest big name capture for motoring legend Arnold Clark". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  23. ^ Reid, Scott (4 October 2013). "Arnold Clark seeks takeovers after record sales". The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  24. ^ Dorsey, Kirsty (27 September 2014). "Arnold Clark turnover hits record £3 billion mark". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  25. ^ Barry, Maggie (6 June 2014). "Meet the men behind Commonwealth Games massive fleet of Fords". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  26. ^ Chung, Crystal (13 February 2015). "Arnold Clark's 60 years in business". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  27. ^ Bell, Olivia (11 February 2015). "Arnold Clark agrees deal to takeover Ness Motors". The Inverness Courier. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  28. ^ "Arnold Cark Automobiles reports record turnover". BBC News. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  29. ^ "New listing for historic garage". BBC News. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  30. ^ "Botanic Gardens Garage". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  31. ^ McCool, Mary (5 April 2014). "From motors to muscle: Glasgow's oldest garage to become 24-hour gym". STV News. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Arnold Clark Vehicle Management gets new HQ". www.am-online.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Howden celebrates awards treble". The Herald. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd. Think fast, learn fast: Optimising through agile". The Drum. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  35. ^ "The 2022 AM Awards Used Car Dealer of the Year is Arnold Clark Automobiles". www.am-online.com. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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