Rockar’s ‘Angels’ open for Jaguar Land Rover shoppers at Westfield

The new Jaguar Land Rover Rockar store at the Westfield complex in East London has now opened for business, flogging cars to bored shoppers.

We’re not entirely sure how Jaguar Land Rover has squared the opening of a Rockar shop at Westfield with their existing dealer network, but however they’ve appeased them it has to be a good move.

The retail world is changing, and car makers have to change with it or lose sales, and the Rockar concept of a shopping mall store front, backed up by a website to order from, is simple but effective.

Drawing curious shoppers in to the Rockar store, ‘Angels’ deliver all the information prospective car buyers want, in a non-confrontational, low key way using tablets and smiles rather than the more traditional arm twisting pitch and upselling even the best of franchise outlets are guilty of.

The ‘Angels’ can also sort everything from part-ex to finance and delivery to servicing needs, all without leaving the store. Or you can do it online when you get home.

JLR say the ‘Angels’ – recruited from the luxury goods and fashion sectors – have no sales targets and get no sales commissions, so you should get the best, unbiased advice. The downside is there are no deals to be made – it’s a fixed menu of prices.

Jeremy Hicks, JLR MD, said:

As the Jaguar Land Rover family grows with great new models and new buyers, our approach needs to adapt with relevant, innovative ways of engaging a new type of customer. We have been looking at how we can offer our customers more choice and more flexibility over how they buy a Jaguar or Land Rover, and adding the Rockar model to our network adds an exciting way to do just that.

Hyundai led the way with the Rockar stores, first in Bluewater and then at Westfield, and they’ve reaped the rewards with strong sales, a younger demographic and more women buyers as a result.

JLR clearly hope to emulate that success, although what success with retail stores means for the dealer networks of Jaguar and Land Rover (and Hyundai, for that matter) is a question which will have to be addressed.

And sooner than any car manufacturer wants.