DBF Automobiles

The DBF Automobiles group was founded in 2008 and is based in Artigues in south-west France. It is one of the Volkswagen Group’s top five dealer groups in France. It is headed by François Désarmeaux and in the space of ten years it has almost doubled its revenue from €170 million to €314 million. It employs 470 people across 11 sites in south-west France, including locations in Bordeaux, Toulouse and Montpellier. By welcoming Crédit Mutuel Equity, as an investor, DBF Automobiles intends to boost its growth, focusing on three main areas: a new online used car offering called Carzen, business services such as car-sharing, and targeted acquisitions.

The group is committed to maintaining a strong regional identity. It has five Audi dealerships: three in Bordeaux (Artigues, Mérignac, La Teste) and two in Montpellier, and six Volkswagen dealerships: three in Toulouse and three in Montpellier.

DBF Automobiles’ success stems partly from its innovative approach to digital and the internet, along with its adoption of CRM technology, in order to become more agile and enhance performance for the benefit of its customers and staff. It was an early adopter of technologies that provide a better understanding of its customers, using a comprehensive database in which all interactions between customers and its departments are stored. This commercial resource is used to support digital sales initiatives. In addition, the group makes extensive use of social media and the internet to identify and win new customers.

Crédit Mutuel Equity’s arrival as a financial partner with a minority equity stake will enable François Désarmeaux to continue implementing digital marketing techniques with a strong operational focus, and online sales of new and used vehicles already make up 20% of the group’s total. It will also give DBF Automobiles a more secure foundation as its sector develops, with the arrival of marketplaces, data management and the rise of electric vehicles, of which the first models are arriving in early 2019. The group will remain alert to new acquisition opportunities with a view to increasing its regional coverage.

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