BMW business with passion

Philippe Emond s.a.

Not the least due to several economic crises, the automotive market has become very complicated. The economic turbulences and new tax regulations have turned out to be big barriers for the sale of vehicles of the upper classes. This is also true for BMW and Philippe Emond, company founder and managing director of the eponymous company, a BMW and Mini car dealer based in Belgium. With a modern infrastructure, the willingness to make investment and last but not least with excellent service, the company is getting ready for better times after the current crisis.

 

In fact, the sale of the big car models such as the BMW 7 series has become more difficult due to the economic ups and downs and the rising taxes,” says Philippe Emond. “At the same time, the market has been developing well in the medium price and product sector, where BMW vehicles excel with extremely low CO2 emissions compared to the models of other brands. Of course, we are not going to expand at the moment. We would rather preserve our strength in order to invest once the crisis is over. We do not aim at quick growth but at a solid leading market position.”

In addition to the distribution of new and used vehicles as well as prestige cars, the company takes on maintenance and repair jobs. “Of course, we accept the old cars of our clients as payment, too,” says Mr. Emond. “If they are younger than five years and have less than 150,000 km on the odometer, we sell them ourselves. The others we distribute via car dealers.”

Altogether, Philippe Emond sells 2,200 BMWs and 600 Minis per year, plus second-hand cars. With branch offices in Belgium and France, the company serves the Belgian, French and Luxembourgian market. Philippe Emond obtained the BMW concession in 1993. Over the years, he constantly expanded his business. Soon, he established a second branch office.

When he did not see further growth potential in Belgium in 2007, he expanded his activities to France. One after another, he opened up five subsidiaries there. Today, he holds two concessions for Belgium for the sale of BMWs and Minis and five concessions for France. There, only two subsidiaries sell Minis. The two biggest concessions are Arlon and Reims.

In addition to this, the company’s network also includes a repair shop for both brands. With a staff of 180, Philippe Emond achieves an annual turnover of around 140 million EUR. Of that, 75 million EUR falls to Belgium and 65 million EUR to France.

Even against the background of the current crisis, Philippe Emond looks to the future with confidence. “We draw on a modern infrastructure, and we are innovative and willing to make investments,” he says. “We are certified ISO 9001, 18001 and 14001, and we lay great emphasis on environmental friendliness. Our cars are excellent and so is our service. We act in the luxury sector, and this means that reliability is very important to us. We are very relaxed with our clients. Our guiding principle is to create a positive atmosphere.”

internationaltradenews.com