Since its launch in 1954, Arnold Clark Automobiles has grown to become Europe's largest privately owned car retailer, selling in excess of 250,000 vehicles per year and generating an annual turnover of over £3 billion.
Arnold Clark Automobiles is founded when a young Arnold Clark leaves the Royal Air Force and uses his demob money to buy a Morris Ten Four for just £70. After restoring the car to its former glory, he sells it on for a profit, and from there, he begins to buy and sell cars. He soon opens the first Arnold Clark showroom in Glasgow's Park Road.
Three more garages are purchased by Arnold Clark - in Bothwell Street (Glasgow), Paisley and Bearsden. In 1963, the finance arm of the company (Arnold Clark Finance Limited) is launched. Soon, Arnold Clark Automobiles extends into the rental market. 50 years later, the business has a fleet of over 5,500 vehicles throughout the UK.
Three more garages are purchased by Arnold Clark – in Bothwell Street (Glasgow), Paisley and Bearsden.
The finance arm of the company, Arnold Clark Finance Limited, is launched. Soon, Arnold Clark Automobiles extends into the rental market.
Arnold Clark Finance Limited wins its first contract hire customer, providing 30 vehicles to Arnott Young.
When Arnold Clark takes over Grant, Melrose and Tenant, the business gains its first Accident Repairs Centre in Vinicombe Street, Glasgow.
Adding to the ever-increasing portfolio of dealerships, Arnold Clark acquires an ambitious multi-site complex in Mount Vernon, welcoming Austin, Jaguar, Land Rover, MG, Rover and Triumph to the list of franchises.
At its Austin Rover dealerships, Arnold Clark begins to underwrite Motability finance.
This is a landmark year for the company, when it becomes the first Scottish car retailer to form a franchise partnership with Renault. Within the year, Arnold Clark becomes Scotland's largest Renault dealer.
The Group acquires a further 13 dealerships, including Machargs, Rennie and Lindsay.
Arnold Clark officially opens the Public Sector department and wins a significant NHS contract.
The Group purchases Drum, a maxi racing yacht, formerly owned by Simon Le Bon of pop band Duran Duran. It has been hailed as ‘the luckiest yacht to complete the Whitbread round the World Race’. The yacht was used for employee team-building days.
The Phoenix Retail Park in Linwood becomes the location for six franchises: Ford, SEAT, ŠKODA, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.
The first ever Real Sale takes place and is still used as an annual marketing campaign to this day.
Expansion comes in the form of a new insurance service from Arnold Clark, which offers motoring, home and travel cover from a panel of over 20 insurers.
Venturing south of the border, the Group opens its first English retail operation in Liverpool.
In this busy year, Arnold Clark acquires ten further dealerships and brings all Group marketing activity in house.
With branches from Inverness to the West Midlands, Arnold Clark emerges as a national car retailer with a strong presence across Britain. Arnold Clark himself receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Business Awards.
Now focusing on expansion in England, the business continues to grow. This year is also the most successful year to date for the company. As a result, Arnold Clark is awarded the Insider Elite Businessman of the Year Award and the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Group acquires GTG, a training school that has training centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh. GTG is defined by their commitment to providing top-class technical training to their apprentices and further enhancing employee training. The Guardian names Arnold Clark as the best rental company in the UK.
Celebrating his 50th year in business, Arnold Clark becomes Sir Arnold Clark after receiving a knighthood in recognition of his services to the motor industry and his contribution to the Scottish community. He also receives the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Master Entrepreneur.
The University of Glasgow awards Sir Arnold Clark an honorary doctorate, meaning that he can also add 'doctor' to his list of titles.
The company is also voted best large dealer group by Automotive Magazine.
The Group acquires Harry Fairbairn, becoming Scotland's leading BMW and MINI retailer. Also making their debut this year are the impressive BMW aftersales facility in Giffnock and Europe's largest showroom in Glasgow's Clydeside.
Understanding the need for all staff to be trained to the highest level, Arnold Clark invests in a new £10 million custom-built training and conference centre, GTG Training, which officially opens its doors in the regenerated Clydeside area of Glasgow.
Arnold Clark acquires the Patterson Group, the largest Ford dealer in North East England.
The first Arnold Clark Motability Roadshow takes place. The event is a one-stop shop for Motability vehicles with over 20 different manufacturers available for customers to browse, with free parking to the event for all Blue Badge holders. The event was a massive success and continues to run each year.
Arnold Clark's largest and most ambitious project to date is the new Stafford Motorstore. Costing £12 million, it is built using the very latest in sustainable technology, making room for an incredible 1,000 vehicles.
Arnold Clark joins forces with the Prince’s Trust. Ever since, the Group has helped hundreds of young people work towards a brighter future.
The Arnold Clark Group is ranked as the largest privately-owned company in Scotland by the Deloitte Sunday Times Fast Track 100.
The company acquires four new branches in Dumfries, Carlisle, Penrith and Workington. Previously owned by the GLC Group, they begin trading as Arnold Clark from 10th December 2009.
This is a busy year for the company - the Arnold Clark website is named the foremost Automotive Dealer Website by Experian Hitwise UK. Meanwhile, away from the digital world, Arnold Clark is awarded the Sword of Honour by the British Safety Council, which represents the pinnacle of achievement in health and safety management. In addition, the acquisition of ŠKODA dealership in Inverness marks the beginning of a strong relationship with a new franchise.
In the process of developing its prestige portfolio, Arnold Clark acquires the Chrysler and Jeep franchises. Also, it becomes the first UK motor retailer to introduce the Kia 'Red Cube ' showroom. The Group also embraces social media, opening Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The Group's retail offering continues to grow, with 17 new retail sites and 34 franchised outlets. One of the most significant of these is John R.Weir, which gives Arnold Clark the largest Mercedes-Benz market share in the UK. Meanwhile, award-winning ArnoldClark.com is developed to be compatible with a range of media devices.
A new GTG Training conference facility opens in the West Midlands, boasting both high quality academic and technical training and leading edge facilities - including a 250-seat conference room. Work also begins on the new Citroën showroom in Armadale, which is officially the largest Citroën dealership in the UK.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the company, Arnold Clark receives an impressive 94% customer satisfaction rating. With over 9,000 members of staff and 150 sites in the UK, plus record-breaking web traffic, the business celebrates its most profitable year to date. The icing on the cake is the AM Retailer of The Year award, which Arnold Clark wins for the third year in a row.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the company, Arnold Clark receives an impressive 94% customer satisfaction rating. With over 9,000 members of staff and 150 sites in the UK, plus record-breaking web traffic, the Group celebrates its most profitable year to date. The icing on the cake is the AM Retailer of The Year Award, which Arnold Clark wins for the third year in a row.
The Arnold Clark Gear Up For Sport campaign also launches in 2014, providing sport kits to sports teams under 16 across Scotland and England. Since its launch, over 5,300 kits have been won.
The Think Customer initiative launches, putting customers at the heart of everything the company does. To date, Arnold Clark has received over 1,500 ideas and suggestions from employees, which continue to shape the business.
Assure Alarms, an NSI Gold approved company, become Arnold Clark’s main supplier of security systems prior to the Group buying a controlling interest at the end of the year. The remaining shares are purchased in 2017.
To celebrate GTG’s involvement with the Prince’s Trust Get into Cars initiative, HRH The Prince of Wales visits GTG.
Arnold Clark acquires Midwest Motor Factors in the Midlands with five branches, one of the largest aftersales operations of its type in the UK. It is now renamed Autoparts Midwest.
Many aspects of the company are now united under one roof at the new purpose-built head office at Hillington in Glasgow. The company's ongoing success is once again recognised with three 2016 AM awards, including, Retailer of the Year.
ArnoldClark.com introduces Deal Builder to work alongside the company’s physical retail environments and allow customers to tailor their finance package.
The Arnold Clark customer app is launched, giving customers a personalised digital experience and easier access to the Group’s online services. Meanwhile, Arnold Clark Chief Executive and Group Managing Director Eddie Hawthorne is named as one of the UK’s top CEOs by recruitment website Glassdoor.
As part of Arnold Clark’s continued dedication to training the future generation of automotive experts, 400 apprentices are recruited during the year. At this point, Arnold Clark has recruited more than 6,000 modern apprentices over the past 20 years.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hits, Arnold Clark supplies over 100 9-seaters free of charge to local charities and community groups. The Group also supplies vehicles to more than 450 NHS employees and key workers who have difficulty getting to work, while Coachbuilders upgrades NHS minibuses to comply with new safety measures.
Arnold Clark launches the first ever Arnold Clark Community Fund to help local communities and charities recover from financial hardship caused by the pandemic. The company also launches its highest profile television sponsorships to date with ITV’s ‘This Morning’ and Drama on 4. The multi-million-pound campaigns take the Arnold Clark brand to new audiences across the length and breadth of the UK.
Arnold Clark continues to steer its customers towards the future with the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre. The centre serves as a hub where customers can learn more about alternative fuel vehicles.
The company’s success is recognised once again at the AM Awards 2022, as Arnold Clark wins three categories, including Retailer of the Year.
The first ever Arnold Clark Cup takes place with four of the world’s top ten women’s football teams taking part in a round-robin tournament. England win the cup, beating Spain, Germany and Canada.
Meanwhile, in a decision to unite the brand across all franchises and to provide customers with a more streamlined digital journey, Harry Fairbairn rebrands to Arnold Clark BMW and Arnold Clark MINI. The Group also enters the car auction industry, acquiring Central Car Auctions.
Arnold Clark’s first ever purpose-built used car concept store opens its doors in Solihull, created with customer experience at the forefront of designs and packed full of technology. A new flagship BMW branch also opens in Hillington. The company’s Click & Collect offering continues to grow with four new sites at Solihull, Sydenham, Exeter and Altrincham.
Even after 70 years, things aren’t slowing down as Arnold Clark announces a new multi-year sponsorship as the Principal Partner of Scottish Rugby, taking the prestigious position of Front-Of-Shirt Sponsor of the Scotland’s men’s team.
OMODA, JAECOO and Genesis join the Arnold Clark Group as franchise partners. And the first Motorstore in London opens its doors in Chertsey. The Group also launches Arnold Clark Charge, a UK-wide ultra-rapid charging network.
Leapmotor and Corvette are the latest franchise partners to join the Arnold Clark Group. Arnold Clark Luxe also launches as the Group’s newest and most opulent automotive venture yet, featuring a hand-picked collection of luxurious and prestigious cars for sale.