Frank Wittemann
Frank Wittemann Frank Wittemann
In 2001, when the Land Rover dealership was opened, only 400 cars were sold. For comparison, by 2008 this figure reached record numbers and amounted to more than 20, 000 cars. In the coming year, the representative office plans to sell more than 15, 000 Land Rover vehicles, approaching the pre-crisis sales level as soon as possible.
The Jaguar brand entered the Russian market in 2004, and only 100 cars were sold in the first year. This year, according to preliminary estimates, this figure will increase by 14 times and amount to 1, 400 cars. Russia currently ranks 10th in the world in terms of Jaguar sales.
One of the main directions in the development of the company remains the expansion of the dealer network. There are currently 46 Land Rover dealerships and 16 Jaguar dealerships in Russia. The company plans to expand the network to 60 dealers Land Rover and up to 20 dealers Jaguar.
In 2009, the Jaguar Land Rover Academy was opened, the purpose of which is to improve the quality of customer service and train highly qualified personnel based on effective professional training of dealership specialists. At the moment, the Academy has trained 1630 specialists of dealer enterprises.
In 2010, in addition to the existing Land Rover warehouse, a Jaguar parts warehouse was opened. To date, the occupancy rate of the Land Rover warehouse is 96%, Jaguar - 88%. In the near future, the company plans to bring the occupancy level of both warehouses to 100%.
In addition to significant investments from the head office to develop new models and strengthen the Land Rover brand, it is planned to continue expansion in Russia and increase its presence in the market. Although, according to Dmitry Kolchanov, the regional director for foreign markets, at present the brand’s position in the Russian Federation is at a good level and there is more probability of meeting Land Rover in the automobile stream than in central London!
Speaking about the future, Dmitry Kolchanov announced the company's plans: by 2014, increase sales of Land Rover cars by 2 times, sales of Jaguar cars by 1.5 times. At the same time, the market share should increase by 1.5 times for both brands.
Dmitry Kolchanov, Regional Director for Foreign Markets, Land Rover
Dmitry Kolchanov, Regional Director for Foreign Markets, Land Rover Dmitry Kolchanov, Regional Director for Foreign Markets, Land Rover
Also, Dmitry Kolchanov said that the company plans to release a new SUV Defender, which will become another legendary Land Rover.
Summing up the results of his work and delegating authority to Frank Wittemann, Dmitry Kolchanov noted: “I am grateful to my colleagues with whom we have been developing the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in the Russian market all these years. The representative office has an excellent team of professionals. In 2001, there were only 10 people in it, at the moment there are already more than 100 of us. I am glad that Frank Wittemann is joining our team. I am sure that his rich experience in the automotive industry, professionalism and determination will allow the company to successfully implement the given development strategy in the Russian market.”
Taking the floor, Mr. Witteman said that after taking office, in the first two weeks of June, he managed to visit England, the birthplace of two legendary brands, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the company's development plans.
