After significant dealer closures earlier in 2024 left many UK regions underserved, Ineos Automotive is swiftly rebuilding its franchise network and boosting aftersales capacity, aiming to better support Grenadier 4x4 owners and strengthen its market position.
Just a few months after experiencing a pretty significant shrinking of its UK dealer and service network, Ineos Automotive has now shifted gears—actually, quite actively expanding again. It seems like the company is making a strategic turn, responding to what customers really want and what the market’s demanding. They’ve started recruiting more dealership partners and giving some of their existing ones extra responsibilities, aiming to restore coverage, especially in those regions where service gaps had become painfully obvious. What’s interesting here is that this turnaround happens pretty quickly, after a bumpy move from an agency sales model to a franchise dealer setup, which had resulted in many closures—leaving some areas pretty underserved.
Earlier this year, they cut back their dealer network quite a bit—dropping a good number of outlets, including some pretty prominent ones—so that residents in places like the south-west and parts of the Midlands now had a tough time reaching authorized service points. Owners weren’t shy about sharing their frustrations online; on forums, comments revealed legitimate worries about how few service centres were left. Some even reported driving hours just to get to the closest authorized repair shop. One particularly telling comment pointed out closures in towns like Sevenoaks, Colchester, Gloucester, Ribble Valley, and Kidderminster. And to make matters worse, the promise of independent third-party service agents—initially suggested to help fill the gap—seemed to fall flat, leaving regional customers even more stranded.
In response, Ineos is working on expanding its aftersales and servicing reach. For example, Keith Gotts, a specialist in 4x4s based in Hampshire, has joined their aftersales network, which is a good step. Meanwhile, Halliwell Jones—well-established for Ineos in Chester—is now boosting its service capacity, moving into Wilmslow. Even Lloyd Motor Group is stepping up, extending its reach across the north-east of England, continuing its sales and service activities at the Newcastle showroom, and opening two new locations in Carlisle—one of which is pretty strategically placed right next to an agricultural auction site to specifically serve rural and farming customers. All these expansions are tied into Lloyd’s AllRoad brand, which focuses on 4x4s, aligning perfectly with the Grenadier's target market.
Tom Johnson, Ineos Automotive’s Regional Director for the UK and Ireland, emphasized that their focus remains firmly on supporting current customers. They’re doing this by giving existing dealerships a broader role and leveraging mobile services to bridge the immediate gaps in aftersales support. Mobile service providers are being used as temporary solutions until new, permanent dealerships can be established—acknowledging that reducing the network earlier caused some operational headaches.
Ineos claims that switching over to a franchise model brings lots of customer benefits—things like faster vehicle deliveries, better financing options, and easier trade-ins. These are areas where customers previously voiced frustrations under the agency model. The company sees this new dealer network as a fundamental part of sustainable growth, and they believe it’ll lead to happier customers and a more competitive position in the rugged 4x4 segment.
All of this dealer network reshuffling is happening against a backdrop of bigger corporate shifts. Production briefly paused in late 2024 because of a supply crunch but has since kicked into gear again. The company aims to get over 20,000 Grenadiers on the roads by the year’s end. Meanwhile, their global footprint is also expanding—they’re now selling in 50 countries, including some newer markets like Mexico and China. That kind of rapid expansion fuels optimism about seeing more growth come 2025.
The evolution from a model where Ineos managed 26 sites with 19 different dealers—sort of an agency approach—to a leaner, more streamlined franchise network with about 10 partners and 12 to 14 dealerships overall indicates a strategic move to be more efficient and customer-oriented. Part of this plan includes targeting less-covered areas like the south of England, which is finally starting to see new dealer appointments after the initial closures left some areas pretty much without service options.
All in all, the recalibration of Ineos Automotive’s UK dealer and service setup reflects just how tricky it can be to scale a premium, niche vehicle brand in such a challenging aftermarket environment. For suppliers, logistics firms, and fleet managers, these changes underline how important flexible, regionally tailored dealer networks are, especially when combined with mobile and specialized servicing solutions, to keep customers happy and brand loyal in this specialized automotive segment. It’s a complex balancing act, but one Ineos seems determined to get right.
Source: Noah Wire Services
