ARVAL'S PRESENCE IN THE OEM WHITE LABEL PARTNERSHIPS

A reinforced commitment to the OEM white label financing sector has seen Arval more than double its market presence over the last 18 months.

In that time, the company has increased the number of individual manufacturer contracts it holds in separate countries from 14 to 30.

OEM white label allows manufacturers to offer individuals and small businesses a full service leasing, benefiting from Arval’s expertise, with the name of their brand. It is a complete offer of financing, turnkey service and mobility for the car manufacturers and their distribution networks.

Alexandre Barbereau, Head of OEM & Dealer Partnerships at Arval, explained: “This was a sector in which Arval had a still limited presence until around 18 months ago, when a strategic decision was made to massively enhance our offering to better answer the increasing demand of our OEM partners. We recruited a new team that is experienced in this area and have also made a substantial investment in IT. These measures have enabled us to make a dramatic impact on the market in quite a short period of time.”

A key part of the Arval proposition is its ability to work with the Personal Finance division of parent company, BNP Paribas. This enables a comprehensive range of automotive solutions to be delivered that meet a wide range of customer needs.

Bertrand Gousset, Director Retail Business Development said: “BNP Paribas Personal Finance is able to offer car loans, finance leases and dealer stock financing while Arval can provide a range of Full Service Leasing solutions aimed at individuals, professionals and SMEs. All of this is delivered to the OEM through one account manager, effectively creating a one-stop solution for almost all of their potential customers, which is a major benefit and one of the reasons that we are winning new business.”

A further advantage is that Arval’s investment in IT has enabled it to offer advanced and effective digital platforms that provide OEMs with a competitive edge.

“One of our key realisations about this market was the extent to which it is becoming a space where the end customer wants to transact digitally and the solutions we have created and are rolling out are very much based around this aspiration”, explained Alexandre Barbereau.

Everything from acquisition to e-signature of the contract will be carried out online, with the latter point being very unusual in this sector. It is a 100% digital process. Arval’s entire offering is delivered across only two platforms for Europe. This is a major benefit for OEMs as platform roll-outs can be replicated from territory to territory within a matter of days.

Alongside this investment in technology, Arval has assembled new, expert teams at both international and local levels to serve OEM requirements. Additionally, Arval is able to access the finance and vehicle expertise that is available across its entire organisation, which provides a head start in areas such as helping OEMs develop finance solutions for hybrids and electric vehicles, for example.

“It is a very exciting period of growth for us. We have ambitious targets in this matter and believe they are very much achievable because of the balance of expertise, product, people and technology we have assembled at Arval. We are truly committed at helping our OEM customers meet their market aspirations by providing the finance solutions that they need in a manner that exceeds their expectations”, concludes Alexandre Barbereau.