PSA Retail launches the Marseille spare parts platform

The launch of the Marseille spare parts platform in Marignane, one month after that of the Madrid platform, is part of a PSA Retail offensive that will see it open 40 spare parts platforms across Europe by 2017.

The start-up of the platform in the southeast of France (Provence, Alps and Côte d’Azur) demonstrates the agility of PSA Retail’s teams, coming just six months after the launch decision was taken.

The Marseille-Marignane spare parts platform: increasing the number of automotive repair customers from 800 to 1,600 for projected revenue of €80 million

As of its launch at the beginning of June, the new Marseille spare parts platform has a portfolio of 800 automotive repair customers.

This number will rise gradually to 1,600 by the summer of 2017, when the platform will have reached full operational maturity. It is forecast to generate full-year revenue of €80 million, as of 2017.

More generally, the plan to develop a new network of PSA Retail spare parts platforms in France will result in the expansion of six existing platforms (Bordeaux, Gonesse, Lille, Lyon, Morangis and Nantes) and the opening of six new ones (Alsace, Marseille, Nice, Normandy, Rennes and Toulouse).

Two to three deliveries a day, within 90 minutes: winning loyalty and customers

The Marseille-Marignane platform will be able to deliver spare parts to all of its customers two to three times a day, within 90 minutes.

The objective of this system is twofold: it is designed to help automotive repair customers build loyalty with their customer base and also allow PSA Retail to win over new customers.

The Marignane plant: an ideal location for spare parts distribution

The Marseille-Marignane spare parts plant has excellent road and motorway links, giving it quick access to the major towns and cities in its catchment area. These include Aix en Provence, Aubagne, Avignon, Hyères, La Seyne, Istres, Carpentras, Marseille Miramas, Nîmes and Toulon.

It has 33 permanent employees, of which eight travelling salespeople who handle relations with auto industry professionals in the geographic area covered by the platform.

Becoming a European leader of spare parts distribution

The strategy implemented at the Marignane plant will be rolled out in nine European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

There will ultimately be a network of 40 spare parts platforms across these regions. Each one will be able to deliver to its customers two to three times a day, within 90 minutes.

They will have, as a minimum:

– Around 20,000 Peugeot, Citroën, DS and EuroRepar original spare parts;

– All of the other parts that the PSA Group decides to sell at its spare parts platforms in the future.

In addition, thanks to their smart location and optimised logistics processes, the new platforms’ service rates will increase from 70% to 85%. The service rate is defined as the percentage of parts in a platform’s catalogue that the platform is genuinely able to deliver within a day to automotive repair customers. (As part of the offering, the service rate on the second day will be more than 95%.)

Jean-Baptiste Choupot, Vice-President Parts and Services at PSA Retail, said: “The launch of the Marseille spare parts platform marks the starting point for an ambitious plan that will see PSA Retail develop a fully-fledged spare parts business unit, with the objective of becoming a key spare parts retailer in the major European markets. With this strategy, PSA Retail hopes to significantly increase its market share and revenue in what is a strategic area of the automotive retailing sector.”