Groupe Renault UK awarded Franchise of the Year by Automotive Management at their awards ceremony.

• Groupe Renault UK awarded Franchise of the Year by Automotive Management at awards ceremony last night
• Franchise delivered industry-leading growth and profit in 2015
• Award recognises Groupe Renault’s mutually beneficial relationship with dealers

Groupe Renault UK was crowned Franchise of the Year at the annual Automotive Management Awards ceremony in Birmingham last night.

Groupe Renault UK was up against rivals such as Ford, Honda and Kia for the Franchise of the Year award and came out on top having been voted for by dealers across the country. The Groupe Renault UK franchise consists of both Renault and Dacia dealerships.

Previously awarded to Audi UK, BMW UK and Mercedes-Benz UK, the Franchise of the Year award seeks to recognise the brand that has fulfilled on promises made by the manufacturer partner to dealers. The award is decided by AM’s dealer audience through online voting in January.

Stephen Briers, Editor-in-chief of AM Magazine, said: “The Renault franchise has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years but is now firmly in the ascendance, with outstanding models and a real partnership approach to its franchised dealers. In the past it took assertive action to shore up its network, but now that same assertive stance is winning over both customers and dealers.”

Ken Ramirez, Managing Director of Groupe Renault UK, said: “We’re honoured and delighted to receive such an important recognition and highly prestigious award. Being awarded Franchise of the Year by AM Magazine reflects the strong collaboration and commitment by our franchise partners to deliver the sustainable profitable growth ambition in our joint GO5+ Mid-Term Plan. To be voted for by AM’s dealer audience makes the award even more gratifying as it is further proof of the strong belief dealers have in our franchise and the effectiveness of our positive relationship with the Renault Dealer Association. Alongside our fantastic dealer network, the launch of Dacia in the UK in 2013 as well as new and exciting Renault models such as Clio, Captur and Kadjar which have all been instrumental in our franchise growth. With the upcoming launch of the All-New Mégane, we look forward to even further growth in 2016, delivering our GO5+ objectives.”

As well as being crowned Franchise of the Year, Groupe Renault UK was also nominated in the Manufacturer of the Year category and Car of the Year category for Kadjar.

Groupe Renault UK’s dealer network was the fastest growing franchise in the UK in 2015, ranking 9^th in the UK by volume. Strengthened with the addition of 19 new dealerships – 13 of which were opened by new investor partners – the manufacturer’s UK dealer network contributed to Groupe Renault UK recording its third consecutive year of growth and outpacing the market by two to one.

Encompassing Renault cars, LCVs and Dacia, Groupe Renault UK sales for 2015 stood at 127,343 vehicles – up by 17.4 per cent on 2014.  Renault cars recorded a four-year high of 75,618 vehicles, Dacia sold 26,228 models and Renault LCVs were up by 40 per cent to a 25,458 vans – the best ever year for Renault LCVs in the UK.