Title: Business strategies and key success factors for automotive retailers: the case of dealer groups in Italy

Authors: Leonardo Buzzavo

Addresses: Department of Business Economics and Management, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, S. Giobbe, Cannaregio 873 – 30121 Venezia, Italy

Abstract: The automotive distribution industry is undergoing a profound reorganisation because of many pressures that include saturation of demand and intense competition, falling margins and increasing fixed costs (especially representation standards), and developments in information and communication technologies. This work examines some of the features of such reorganisation with a specific focus on larger players (dealer groups), investigating their strategies and the key success factors. The results are drawn from a survey and semistructured interviews conducted in mid-2007 with 22 of the 50 largest dealers operating in Italy.

Keywords: automotive distribution; car retailing; car dealers; business strategies; key success factors; automotive retailers; dealer groups; automobile industry; Italy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2008.018771

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2008 Vol.8 No.1, pp.105 - 119

Published online: 16 Jun 2008 *

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