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03/21/2012
Arval continues to expand in 2011
Paris, France - Wednesday, 21 March 2012. In 2011, Arval presented a significant increase in terms of activity. This is the result of a winning growth strategy, the healthy state of Arval’s most recently established subsidiaries, and backing from BNP Paribas. In 2012, Arval will continue in France and abroad to focus on the quality of its service and the added value it brings to customers.
Despite difficult economic conditions, especially in Europe, Arval’s leased fleet of 687,000 vehicles continued to progress in 2011 (3% up from 2010), supported by the thriving activity of its recently established subsidiaries.
Vehicle purchases slightly exceeded the previous record achieved in 2008, with 210,700 units. The number of vehicles sold (191,000) showed strong growth, up 28% compared to the previous year. “Despite economic upheavals in Europe, the impact of the tsunami and the Fukushima disaster in Japan on the delivery times of new vehicles in particular, as well as the significant slowdown in prices on the second-hand car market in the last quarter, Arval met its goals in terms of growth as well as profitability,” says Arval CEO Philippe Bismut.
Despite difficult economic conditions, especially in Europe, Arval’s leased fleet of 687,000 vehicles continued to progress in 2011 (3% up from 2010), supported by the thriving activity of its recently established subsidiaries.
Vehicle purchases slightly exceeded the previous record achieved in 2008, with 210,700 units. The number of vehicles sold (191,000) showed strong growth, up 28% compared to the previous year. “Despite economic upheavals in Europe, the impact of the tsunami and the Fukushima disaster in Japan on the delivery times of new vehicles in particular, as well as the significant slowdown in prices on the second-hand car market in the last quarter, Arval met its goals in terms of growth as well as profitability,” says Arval CEO Philippe Bismut.
A growth strategy that bore fruit in 2011
In May 2011, Arval Germany’s purchase of Commerz Real Autoleasing GmbH, the former full-service leasing subsidiary of Commerz Real Mobilienleasing GmbH, brought the leased fleet up to a total of 30,283 vehicles, up 44% from 2010. In addition, recently established subsidiaries now contribute significantly to the growth of Arval’s fleet, adding more than 6,000 vehicles to the company’s overall fleet in 2011. Leased fleets for instance increased by 36% in both Brazil and India, and 50% in Turkey.
Arval France confirms its leadership in the multi-brand leasing market
2011 was a particularly active year for all French full-service leasers. The market experienced a significant increase in vehicle returns, due to the extended duration of leasing contracts signed in 2008 and 2009 by all stakeholders. As far as Arval France was concerned, vehicle returns were up 10.5% in the first quarter of 2011, causing a decrease in the leased fleet. In the second half of the year, the leased fleet stabilised at 209,717 vehicles on 31 December. Arval France nevertheless confirms its leadership among multi-brand leasers with a 17.5% market share. “With a 12% increase in vehicles put on the road, 2011 was a good year for Arval despite the economic crisis,” confirms François-Xavier Castille, General Manager of Arval France.
In 2012, Arval is expanding its frontiers, consolidating its offer for SMEs, and betting on service quality
Arval is continuing its international development policy. In January, the group announced the opening of a subsidiary in Denmark. The first step in a broader plan to get established in Scandinavian countries, this consolidates and reinforces Arval’s global presence in Europe, with Denmark becoming Arval’s 19th subsidiary on the continent. “I am happy to announce that our presence in Scandinavia will be reinforced by a subsidiary in Finland, which will be operational within the next few months. Of course, Arval will also continue to consolidate its new subsidiaries particularly in BRIT (Brazil, Russia, India and Turkey), where full-service leasing is currently booming,” explains Philippe Bismut.
Arval also wants to expand its market frontiers by strengthening its arrangement for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe by means of a multichannel offer that associates car manufacturers, brokers, dealers and retail banking networks, in particular those of BNP Paribas.
“In 2012, we want first of all to consolidate our bases, focus on our customers, and continue to bring them more service quality. We do not want to be just a ‘corporate vehicle provider in full-service leasing’. Our service, our consulting capacity, our expert knowledge of the market mean that each of our customers knows what added value they can expect from working with Arval,” Philippe Bismut concludes.
Service quality and expertise at the core of Arval France’s strategy for 2012
The continuous improvement of service quality is a top priority for Arval France. Beyond the services that are dedicated to its corporate customers, Arval France also wants to satisfy drivers. Innovative methods are therefore offered to companies, for example support when making appointments with maintenance networks, eco-driving courses, and road-risk prevention programmes.
“Aval’s strength is that it not only leases vehicles, but offers a whole range of services to facilitate mobility management in a company. We continue to innovate (single, automatic billing system, car sharing, electric vehicles) and anticipate the way society is changing in order to offer a service that keeps pace with companies' new needs. It is worth noting that Arval France obtained ISO 14001 certification in 2011. This is an endorsement of our environment policy, and we are the first leaser to be awarded this distinction. We are particularly proud of that,” François-Xavier Castille underlines.
Finally, in the scope of its development policy, Arval has signed partnerships in 2012 with a Korean manufacturer that chose Arval as a partner to develop its full-service leasing offer to customers. These partnerships will help to enlarge Arval’s offer that is aimed at SMEs.
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