 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1954; 71 years ago (1954) inGlasgow, Scotland |
| Founder | Arnold Clark |
| Headquarters | Glasgow, Scotland |
Key people | Eddie Hawthorne[1](CEO and Group Managing Director) |
| Products | Vehicles |
| Owner | Arnold Clark & Family |
Number of employees | 11,000 (2020) |
| Divisions | The Phoenix Car Company |
| Subsidiaries | Arnold Clark Finance Harry Fairbairn |
| Website | www |
Arnold Clark is a car dealer based inGlasgow, Scotland. As of 2025[update], the company has over 200 dealerships across the United Kingdom, and is one of the largest car dealerships in Europe.[2] Annually, Arnold Clark sells in excess of 300,000 vehicles, and sells new vehicles from over 30 international countries.[3]
The company was founded byArnold Clark, who opened his first showroom in 1954 in Park Road inGlasgow. In 1963, Arnold Clark Finance was launched.[4] In the 1960s the company began rental vehicles and in 1968 took over Grant, Melrose and Tennant giving the company an accident repair centre.[5]
Clark took over other motor businesses such as the Glasgow dealership McHarg, Rennie and Lindsay. Clark's biggest branch was gained through the takeover of Ross of Lochrin in Edinburgh.[6] By 1989, there were twenty two Arnold Clark branches across Central Scotland and one in England. The rental part of the business now had 1400 rental cars and 350 light commercial vehicles.[7] The company also had vehicle contract hire operations inLiverpool andSheffield.[8] In December 1989, he gained a further 13 dealerships in the North East of Scotland, with the purchase ofRon Hutcheson Motors Ltd.[5][9] This took the number of people employed by the company to 1300.[8]
In 1994, the company opened its first site in England, inLiverpool.[10] In 1996, Clark agreed deal for site and assets of Glasgow-based H Prosser and Sons Ltd, unaware that the company was imminently to be put into receivership.[11] By May 2002, Arnold Clark had 97 dealerships and with annual sales expected to reach £1 billion, with a claim to be Scotland's largest private company[12] althoughGrampian Country Foods recorded larger sales for the four years following this.[13]
In December 2003, Arnold Clark acquired the training company GTG.[14] By the end of that year, the company employed 6,000 people and operated more than 120 showrooms across the United Kingdom.[15] In April 2005, the company paid a first dividend to the family trust family that it is co owned by.[16]
In May 2006, the company acquired theBMW andMINI specialist Harry Fairbairn, which had dealerships inGiffnock andIrvine.[17] In August 2006, the company opened a car showroom in the regeneratedGlasgow Harbour, Europe's largest.[18] By November 2007, it was approaching a £2 billion turnover.[19] In June 2007, it overtook Grampian Country Foods to again becomeScotland's biggest private company.[20]
With the announcement of theVehicle scrappage scheme in August 2009, Arnold Clark expected to create 700 jobs.[21]
By September 2012, the company was expanding through the acquisition of other dealerships. Fleet sales still accounted for a relatively small proportion of the company's business.[22] The takeover of the Weir group in September 2012 also saw the company expand into the market ofMercedes-Benz.[23] Acquisitions also included a site nearAberdeen, and a dealership and bodyshop inBlackpool.[24]
2014 was their sixtieth year of trading and this was marked with the company’s turnover reaching almost £3 billion, with a rise in used car sales partly responsible.[25] They were involved with the2014 Commonwealth Games as a partner organisation, helping look after the fleet of official vehicles.[26]
In February 2015, the company undertook a rebranding of their buildings.[27] In 2015, the company took over Ness Motors in Inverness, Elgin and Perth.[28] By September 2016, the company had 200 dealerships and 24 franchises, with a staff of 10,000.[29]Arnold Clark never retired from the company, remaining as chairman until his death on 10 April 2017, at the age of 89.[5]
On 31 January 2019, Arnold Clark completed their takeover ofThe Phoenix Car Company. Phoenix was a family-run car retail group established in 1993, with dealerships ofKia,Hyundai,Honda,SsangYong andMazda.
In 2022, in partnership withthe FA, theArnold Clark Cup was founded; an invitational international women’s football tournament hosted in England.
In December 2007, the company's Botanic Gardens Garage was designated acategory A listed building.[30] It had been built before 1912.[31] The company had plans to demolish the building but later withdrew their plans, and in April 2014, one planning application was granted to convert it into a gym.[32]
The company has a purpose-built head office in Hillington which houses a dealership ofRenault, this was completed in 2016.[33]
In October 2009, the company won the "Glasgow Business Award" forApprentice Employer of the Year.[34]
In May 2016, the company's marketing department was named 'In-House Marketing Team of the Year' atThe Drum Awards 2016.[35]
In 2022, the company won Dealer Group of the Year as well as Retailer of the Year at the Automotive Management 2022 Awards.[36][citation needed]
Media related toArnold Clark Automobiles at Wikimedia Commons| Companies | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | |||||
| Banking |
| ||||
| Policy |
| ||||
| Localised | |||||
| People and labour | |||||
| Sectors | |||||
| Theory |
| ||||
