{"id":102487,"date":"2020-11-27T10:34:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T09:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=102487"},"modified":"2020-11-27T12:07:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T11:07:33","slug":"interview-cedric-douls-europcar-mobility-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/interview-cedric-douls-europcar-mobility-group","title":{"rendered":"Interview with : C\u00e9dric Douls, Europcar Mobility Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

How has the Europcar Group got through this very special year, 2020?<\/h3>\n

C\u00e9dric Douls -<\/strong> Covid came along in March, after two months that were extremely positive for us in January and February. Everything collapsed, as it did for everyone else. So we had to face up to the situation with drastic measures to cut costs and reduce the fleet, while at the same time working on the strategic reorganisation of the Europcar Mobility Group. Our precedent strategic plan<\/strong>, \"Shift 2023<\/strong>The plan was to increase sales from three to four billion euros a year. We had to rebuild everything. So from the beginning of March, we had to launch very short-term action plans, while at the same time rebuilding a strategic plan. This plan is called \"Connect<\/strong>It is focused on the customer and their needs. As far as business travel is concerned, this means flexibility, speed and efficiency for business travellers.<\/p>\n

Are you confident about the future? Is the Europcar group saved?<\/h3>\n

C\u00e9dric Douls -<\/strong> Yes, we're a lot calmer at the moment. Even more so with the announcement that our Group has just made! With this agreement, which will make it possible to reducing our debt and a significant injection of new cash<\/strong>In this way, both our Group and our 'Connect' plan are supported. So we're in a good position to benefit fully from the market recovery when it comes. We can't say that we're past the crisis, Covid is still with us, we're in a second phase of confinement, but one that's more flexible, and I think that the hardest part is behind us. And with our various initiatives, the fact that we've refocused on the customer, and the development of tailored offerings that meet 100%'s new needs, we're even more confident every day.<\/p>\n

More generally, how do you see the rental market emerging from the crisis? Should we expect bankruptcies and mergers?<\/h3>\n

C\u00e9dric Douls -<\/strong> It's too early to say. During the crisis, we saw that many short-term hire companies that had weathered the storm better, that had seen their business decline in a measured way, were the ones that had the greatest impact. local renters<\/strong>Thanks to their regional coverage, without the fixed costs of a large structure like Europcar. What is certain is that the future of the sector, of our market, is positive and sustainable<\/strong>. Today, mobility is the Ranked 2nd in global GDP<\/strong>. At 2030<\/strong>This sector will become the world leader in terms of GDP. The COVID crisis may slow this trend down a little, but overall the need for mobility is exponential<\/strong> and owning a vehicle cannot be the only answer to these needs. So vehicle hire - whether for an hour, a day, a week, a month or more - has a bright future ahead of it!<\/p>\n

How busy are you today?<\/h3>\n
\"Europcar\"
C\u00e9dric Douls, Sales Director France and B2B Sales Director, Europcar Mobility Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

C\u00e9dric Douls -<\/strong> At the height of the crisis, we experienced weeks of -80%, -85%. It was colossal. But we shouldn't have to end the year in such proportions! This can be explained by the very good first two months of the year, and by the recovery we've seen since the first confinement was lifted. The business that is holding up particularly well for us is our van hire<\/strong> periods of confinement, whatever the country in Europe, have helped to intensify the development of the e-commerce<\/strong> and home deliveries, which has a direct and positive impact on our business.<\/p>\n

The private car must be more reassuring than other modes of transport in terms of health...<\/h3>\n

C\u00e9dric Douls -<\/strong> Of course it is. All the studies show that the notion of safety is the most important point for our customers, even before price, which usually takes precedence in many sectors. And there's nothing safer than being alone in a car, especially in times of health risk. It was to meet this priority need that we launched our \"Safety Program<\/strong> from the very beginning of the Covid crisis: it's a programme that strengthens the hygiene measures<\/strong> and cleaning products that we use in our stations<\/strong> and in our vehicles<\/strong>. At the same time, we launched the One Sustainable Fleet<\/strong>which aims to achieve 30% of our fleet electrified by 2023 on a global scale, because we need to achieve reconciling the concept of safety with that of sustainability<\/strong>. Governments are pushing manufacturers in particular, via the CAFE Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. So we've decided to be ahead of the game on this issue, which requires a huge amount of change: it's not just about buying electric vehicles, it's also about being able to recharge them. That's why we recently signed an agreement with NewMotion<\/strong>a Shell subsidiary, to develop charging stations<\/strong>. Customers will be issued with a card for recharging their vehicle throughout NewMotion's extensive European network.<\/p>\n