On Tuesday, Avis-Budget unveiled a brand new branch concept at the Marne-la-Vallée Chessy SNCF station, just outside Disneyland Paris. The choice of location is not insignificant, and its décor is full of references to the enchanted kingdom, with the American rental company having recently concluded a partnership with Disneyland Paris. a special agreement with the leisure park. " This official partnership is important because Avis-Budget is the only rental company present on the site of Europe's leading tourist destination, and this branch in Chessy station generates a high volume of leisure and business rentals." says Pierre-Olivier Bard, Managing Director France of Avis Budget Group.
This small branch is the first concrete expression of a concept that will be rolled out by the car hire company across its network of some 300 branches in France. However, not all of them will be subject to this facelift and no timetable or overall cost has been disclosed. " Our network has many franchisees who will have to decide whether to invest in renovating their branch." explains the CEO. If they don't take the plunge, they run the risk of appearing outdated, given the significant changes in the décor designed by Megamark, the company specialising in signage and point-of-sale fittings, which is assisting Avis with this huge makeover project.
Preferred members better identified in renovated branches
While red, Avis' historic colour, is more present than ever, the large reception counter has been replaced by wooden desks with a warmer, more designer feel. The aim of the refurbishment is also to offer a new customer experience. in order to be more efficient and offer the best possible car rental experience" . The development of these blocks should make it possible to better differentiation between customer groups between traditional tenants, Preferred members of its loyalty programme and Quickpass customers who have previously registered online.
" Thanks to digitalization, Avis has revised its service offer after Covid so that our customers have less paper to fill in and less contact with our teams. The process has to be as smooth and quick as possible, because we are often the last stop on the journey after an air or rail journey." explains Pierre-Olivier Bard. At Chessy, as at ten other branches in railway stations and airports, the rental company is even playing it safe. 100% paperless with its Self-Service Kiosk, a box that allows Preferred customers to collect the keys to their reserved vehicle outside opening hours, in particular via the Avis application. " Five times as many key boxes to be installed by the end of the year" he adds.
A flagship for the concept at Nice-Côte d'Azur airport
After Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, the second revamped branch in April will be at Nice-Côte d'Azur airport, one of the largest in France, which also benefits from high levels of leisure and corporate traffic. " The new concept is tailored to each branchEach is different, depending on its size and volume of business. Twenty or so have already been set up" explains David Chanrion, Megamark's Key Account Sales Manager. More premium, the Nice branch will have a dozen reception kiosks - compared with 2 at Chessy and a waiting area located outside the station - and a small lounge reserved for Preferred members.
The Neuilly-sur-Seine branch will follow by the end of 2024. International operations have not been forgotten, with the redevelopment before the summer of the branch at the British airport of London HeathrowAvis-Budget Group's largest in Europe, followed by four other branches in the UK. All this is in addition to a number of other strategic branches in Spain and Italy.
