A family-founded Scottish car retailer, now one of the biggest in Europe, selling, financing, servicing and repairing cars and vans from about 200 UK branches.
Arnold Clark is a car retailer that sells new, used, nearly new, electric and luxury cars and vans. Around those sales it runs finance and leasing, servicing and MOTs, accident repair centres, parts, car and van rental, insurance and even its own training school. It says it sells more than 300,000 cars a year, holds over 20,000 cars in stock and sells new cars from 32 manufacturers. Its brand list includes Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Kia, Hyundai and newer names such as BYD and Leapmotor. That wide choice means staff learn about many different makes and technologies.
The company began in 1954 when Arnold Clark, fresh out of the RAF, used his demob money to buy a Morris Ten Four for £70, restored it and sold it at a profit. He opened a first showroom on Park Road in Glasgow and was knighted in 2004. His mission statement, which the company still uses, is "To offer genuine value for money and create high levels of customer satisfaction." The company also says it wants to grow, innovate and inspire.
Arnold Clark is based in Glasgow, where a purpose-built head office opened at Hillington in 2016. Its website says it has 200 branches from Elgin in the north to Exeter in the south, including 160 service centres, 17 accident repair centres and 14 parts centres. It opened its first English site in Liverpool in 1994 and has since added sites in places such as Stafford, Solihull, Chertsey and Altrincham.
The company describes itself as a long-running family-founded business and says its founding principle is still followed across the group. It runs a Think Customer programme that gathered more than 1,500 ideas from its own staff. Its history also records the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre for alternative fuel vehicles, opened in 2021, and Coachbuilders, which converts vans and adapts vehicles for people with mobility needs. It also supports communities through the Arnold Clark Community Fund, a Prince's Trust partnership since 2008, Gear Up For Sport kit awards for young teams, and sponsorship of Scottish Rugby's men's team. These are the company's own descriptions.
Working here means many different jobs, not just selling. The company employs sales and product consultants, service technicians, accident repair specialists, parts staff, finance and insurance teams, rental and logistics staff, digital and marketing teams, and trainers at its GTG Training centres. It is a good example of how one car brand name can hide dozens of different careers. The page we read did not give a total headcount, so check the company website for the latest figure.
Website: www.arnoldclark.com
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