Concentration in the Swiss car trade
In September 2016, the six locations of KETO Autocenter AG and Kenny's Auto-Center AG merged to form the Kenny's Group. This creates a new player in the car trade in German-speaking Switzerland with 200 employees and sales of over CHF 100 million.
Kenny Eichenberger is not resting on its laurels even in its 40th anniversary year: The merger of the six locations of KETO Autocenter AG and Kenny's Auto-Center AG in September will create a new major German-Swiss player in the car trade. The management is in the hands of Marc Eichenberger, son of Kenny Eichenberger. He will become chairman of the board of directors.
Helped shape the development of mobility
Kenny Eichenberger has played a major role in shaping the development of mobility in Switzerland over the past 40 years and has always been able to adapt to the rapid changes. 40 years ago, he founded his company, which is now at home in Wettingen and Dällikon as Kenny's Auto-Center. For 30 years, he has represented Mercedes-Benz - the brand that accounted for 7.1% of the Swiss car market in 2015 and is one of the ten most popular car brands in Switzerland in almost all categories: Mercedes-Benz today covers very different customer segments, from minicars to all mid-range categories to the luxury segment.
Once upon a time there was a smart center
The history of Kenny's Auto-Center AG is also closely interwoven with that of Mercedes-Benz and smart on other levels. For example, 20 years ago Nicolas Hayek and Mercedes-Benz selected Kenny Eichenberger and Thomas Baggenstos for the first smart branch in German-speaking Switzerland. Smart, the pioneer among minicars, was still one of the best-selling small cars in Switzerland in 2015. The smart centers were ultimately the foundation stone for today's KETO Autocenter AG in Zurich-Wallisellen, Bern-Schönbühl, Lucerne-Kriens and Zug-Mettmenstetten. Since January 2016, they have been managed by Kenny's son Marc Eichenberger, who joined KETO Autocenter AG as a sales consultant for smart almost five years ago after completing a bachelor's degree in business administration and managing and selling a monitoring company.
Emotions plus digitization
So now comes another milestone: Kenny's Auto-Center AG and KETO Autocenter AG merge to form Kenny's Auto-Center AG. Kenny Eichenberger places the management in the hands of his son Marc Eichenberger and becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 200-strong family business with six locations. He explains the advantages resulting from the merger: "The car trade is moving strongly. But at the end of the day, it's still all about customer satisfaction. The human factor is the be-all and end-all in the car trade, always has been! As a car dealer, I sell emotions. However, customers today are better informed and more demanding. Technical capabilities allow for greater efficiency and expertise in customer service and repair of increasingly complex vehicles. Kenny's, with a strong brand at six locations, can take better and faster advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization. The "smart" know-how of KETO Autocenter AG gives wings to the Wettingen and Dällikon locations. Decades of experience with Mercedes-Benz strengthen KETO Autocenter AG. At all six locations, the new Mercedes-Benz Competence Center in Wettingen is at the service of customers - digitization makes it possible. The team of diagnostic specialists is thus always close to fleet customers or private customers."
Mercedes-Benz at daily prices
Car dealerships today and in the future involve more than the sale and repair of vehicles. Marc Eichenberger, the designated managing director of the new Kenny's Group, also sees the opportunities of car sharing or renting cars. He says, "The new technologies bring entirely new opportunities. These certainly include sharing platforms or simply renting a car. Our parent company Daimler shows abroad with Car to go how easy car rental is. We at Kenny's are now also offering rental cars - in all categories. With the smart, we have an offer for CHF 39 per day, which is cheaper than Mobility. There are no subscription fees at Kenny's. A wide range of Mercedes-Benz models are available for rent. These include station wagons or vans that you might want to drive during the vacation season, for example - when you need more space with your family or for sports equipment. It's a good alternative for owners of a two-seater like the smart or a Mercedes-Benz convertible."
Cheaper, faster, leaner, smarter
In order to always be top fit to face change in the future, Kenny's places even more emphasis on the continuous training of its 200 employees, who have to adapt their skills continuously and quickly. Marc Eichenberger: "The only real constant remains the point of trust - customers want to feel that they trust us and our brands. We succeed in this if we maintain a high level of transparency towards customers and our employees are able to provide good advice to the increasingly well-informed customer." For customers, the growing investments in infrastructure and IT also result in further advantages. For example, the standardized processes improve efficiency and speed. Marc Eichenberger: "Thanks to the new diagnostics team in Wettingen and the use of the new technologies, our services for customers will be cheaper and faster. Since we don't have a general manager per location, we as the Kenny's management team are closer to the people, are more efficient and can introduce innovations more quickly."
Larger stock of new and used cars
He goes on to explain, "In terms of marketing, we obviously have a lot more options with the Kenny's brand: With a single company, we have a single presence. There are also synergies and cost savings. Certain elements that are very successful in Wettingen will also be adopted at the other locations. These include, for example, the Käfeli or the wheel of fortune, which every customer can spin after making a purchase. Whoever wins gets a reduction. That's very popular! Customers can also enjoy the well-known Käfeli from Costa Rica, which is easy on the stomach, anywhere in a modern setting. We are also looking into how we can transfer certain elements of Feng Shui, which give the building in Wettingen a unique ambience, to the other locations. There are further advantages in the exhibitions, which, for example, attract around 5,000 people every year in Wettingen, or in the presentation of an even larger range of models. Overall, we are cultivating the best of Kenny's Auto-Center AG and expanding it to six locations." The already large stock of used cars, new cars and demonstration cars will also be further expanded.
