Dex starts foreign expansion in northern France
Dex, the multi-brand garage with new and young used cars, is expanding abroad. Owner Joost Huys is investing in the expansion of a sales network in northern France, together with the French family garage group Verbaere. "Throughout Europe, a consolidation is taking place in the sector. We are taking the initiative and will now launch our successful Belgian formula in France as well. Together with Verbaere, we have the ambition to grow into a European player." says Huys.
Successful multi-brand garage wants to conquer Europe with French partner
Dex is a chain of multi-brand garages, which was expanded under the impetus of Joost Huys (51). He opened the first branch in 2005 in Hooglede-Gits, in the heart of West Flanders. Dex now has a network of 17 dealers throughout Belgium. Since 2009, it has also offered cars online. The chain offers new cars and young second-hand cars. The formula was a hit right from the start, partly because Dex offers competitive prices without discounts. Over the years, Huys has built up an extensive European supplier network for the purchase of new and nearly new cars.
"We sell between 4 and 5.000 cars a year. We have a technical centre in Roeselare to check and recondition all these cars. Usually we have more than 1.000 cars in stock, which enables us to react quickly", says Joost Huys.
An active role in European consolidation
Last year, Dex achieved a turnover of almost 70 million euros. "The majority of that is still generated in the showroom. A customer wants to see, feel, smell his car... before he makes his final decision," Joost Huys explains. That is why he wants to expand the network even further. "In Belgium, I mainly see room for additional dealers in Brussels and Wallonia. But of course we are taking into account the developments in the sector. Car manufacturers are rationalising their networks and the entire garage sector is undergoing European consolidation. We don't want to wait for it and we have the ambition to play an active role ourselves.
Joost Huys found a partner in the French family garage group Verbaere. It has been active in the sector since 1950. It is a dealer of 12 makes and has 15 garages in Lille, Valenciennes, Maubeuge and Reims. Last year, the group achieved a turnover of 118 million euros with 200 employees. "Northern France is the logical first step in our foreign expansion," explains Joost Huys. "And in Jean-Charles Verbaere (42) we have found a partner who shares the same vision. Together we will expand Dex as we have done in Belgium, through a network of branches. The first garage will be in Douai, where a showroom and first logistics centre are currently being built."
Verbaere and Huys form a new group that will invest in the further growth of Dex. Joost Huys remains CEO of Dex Belgium and will use his know-how and relations to shape Dex France. The goal is to open the first branch in the autumn and to start up online sales. In the medium term the new group also has the ambition to bring the Dex concept to other European countries.
"We know that the second-hand market will become even more important in the coming years: cars are becoming more expensive and electrification means that some models are unaffordable for private buyers. For those people, we have an offer that already includes 10% hybrid and electric cars, and that will only increase. Our 'easy car shopping' formula, in which we make the purchase of a car as easy and efficient as possible, certainly has European potential," concludes Joost Huys.