Even if you haven’t heard of Jaguar Land Rover’s Arch dealership concept by name, the chances are you would recognise it. Conceived in 2013 and rolled out since, it describes the firm’s dual-branded dealerships, noteworthy for their imposing right-angled structures, stripped-back colour palettes and reputed prices of up to £15 million each.
Back when Arch was conceived, JLR was rocking. Land Rover could do no wrong – Range Rover especially so, the Evoque capturing the post-recessionary mood perfectly. Jaguar was also set to finally deliver, on swagger with the F-Type, on volume with the XE and then – so read the plan, at least – on profit with a family of SUVs.
Reports at the time suggested the combined cost of the new dealerships in the UK – chiefly borne by the dealers – would be around £1 billion.
Although the roll-out has taken far longer than originally believed, that has primarily been down to planning issues.