The company was founded by Arnold Clark, who opened his first showroom in 1954 in Park Road in Glasgow. In 1963, Arnold Clark Finance was launched.[3] In the 1960s the company began rental vehicles and in 1968 took over Grant, Melrose and Tennant giving the company an accident repair centre.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6] The company also had vehicle contract hire operations in Liverpool and Sheffield.[7] In December 1989, he gained a further 13 dealerships in the North East of Scotland, with the purchase of Ron Hutcheson Motors Ltd.[4][8]
This took the number of people employed by the company to 1300.[7]
In 1994, the company opened its first site in England, in Liverpool.[9] 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.[10] By May 2002, Arnold Clark had 97 dealerships and with annual sales expected to reach £1billion, with a claim to be Scotland's largest private company[11] although Grampian Country Foods recorded larger sales for the four years following this.[12]
Arnold Clark Motorstore in Nottingham
In December 2003, Arnold Clark acquired the training company GTG.[13] By the end of that year, the company employed 6,000 people and operated more than 120 showrooms across the United Kingdom.[14] In April 2005, the company paid a first dividend to the family trust family that it is co owned by.[15]
In May 2006, the company acquired the BMW and MINI specialist Harry Fairbairn, which had dealerships in Giffnock and Irvine.[16] In August 2006, the company opened a car showroom in the regenerated Glasgow Harbour, Europe's largest.[17] By November 2007, it was approaching a £2billion turnover.[18] In June 2007, it overtook Grampian Country Foods to again become Scotland's biggest private company.[19]
With the announcement of the Vehicle scrappage scheme in August 2009, Arnold Clark expected to create 700 jobs.[20]
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.[21] The takeover of the Weir group in September 2012 also saw the company expand into the market of Mercedes-Benz.[22] Acquisitions also included a site near Aberdeen, and a dealership and bodyshop in Blackpool.[23]
2014 was their sixtieth year of trading and this was marked with the company’s turnover reaching almost £3billion, with a rise in used car sales partly responsible.[24] They were involved with the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a partner organisation, helping look after the fleet of official vehicles.[25]
In February 2015, the company undertook a rebranding of their buildings.[26] In 2015, the company took over Ness Motors in Inverness, Elgin and Perth.[27] By September 2016, the company had 200 dealerships and 24 franchises, with a staff of 10,000.[28]Arnold Clark never retired from the company, remaining as chairman until his death on 10 April 2017, at the age of 89.[4]
On 31 January 2019, Arnold Clark completed their takeover of The Phoenix Car Company. Phoenix was a family-run car retail group established in 1993, with dealerships of Kia, Hyundai, Honda, SsangYong and Mazda.
In 2022, in partnership with the FA, the Arnold Clark Cup was founded; an invitational international women’s football tournament hosted in England.
Locations
In December 2007, the company's Botanic Gardens Garage was designated a category A listed building.[29] It had been built before 1912.[30] 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.[31]
The company has a purpose-built head office in Hillington which houses a dealership of Renault, this was completed in 2016.[32]
Awards
In October 2009, the company won the "Glasgow Business Award" for Apprentice Employer of the Year.[33]
In May 2016, the company's marketing department was named 'In-House Marketing Team of the Year' at The Drum Awards 2016.[34]
In 2022, the company won Dealer Group of the Year as well as Retailer of the Year at the Automotive Management 2022 Awards[35].[citation needed]
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