2019: another year of dynamic growth for Arval

March 12, 2020

• +9.1%* FLEET GROWTH, OUTPERFORMING THE MARKET
• DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH IN MOST GEOGRAPHIES
• STRONG GROWTH IN THE RETAIL BUSINESS
• ELECTRIC VEHICLES TAKE UP, WHILE DIESEL DECREASES IN TOTAL FLEET
• A PIVOTAL YEAR IN 2020 WITH A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN: ARVAL BEYOND
• +26% FLEET GROWTH FOR ARVAL LUXEMBOURG

2019, another year of strong growth for Arval 

Arval is the specialist in full service vehicle leasing and new mobility solutions. Thanks to its full best in class range of services, delivered in 29 countries by more than 7,000 employees, Arval outperformed the market in 2019 and is one of the fastest growing leasing companies in the world. 2019 generated excellent growth for the company, and intensified market shares: Arval is the overall market leader in the countries where it operates.

In 2019, Arval leased fleet grew by 9.1%* overall, reaching 1,298,404 vehicles. The number of vehicles ordered increased by 8% year-on-year, totalling 380,982 vehicles. The number of end-of contract vehicles sold was up by 6% year-on-year, totalling 269,830. Most of Arval geographies have double-digit fleet growth: +20.8% in the Nordics, +19.3% in Central Europe, +16,2% in Benelux & Southern Europe. Arval biggest countries in terms of fleet (France, UK, Spain and Italy) grew by +7.3%.

In terms of client segments, last year, Arval grew across all of them, with +7% in the Corporate & Public segments and +25% for the Mid Term Rental fleet. In 2019, the Retail fleet showed a very strong growth (+14% vs 2018), within which the private lease fleet increased by +42% vs 2018, closing the year just below the 300,000 mark.

As part of a rapidly evolving industry and in line with its strong CSR commitment, Arval moved one-step ahead towards energy transition with two main trends in 2019: the decrease of diesel share in Arval fleet to 75%, and the acceleration of the take-up of electric vehicles. Also, for the 4th year in a row, Arval was awarded the gold recognition level on the EcoVadis CSR platform, rating it among the top 2% best companies in the “Renting and leasing of motor vehicles” industry. This excellent performance confirms the success of Arval in its daily mission: offer people the possibility to have a positive impact on society, their communities, and preserve the planet.

Overview of 2019 highlights

In 2019, Arval celebrated its 30 year-anniversary, a recognition of its long-term know-how and expertise. With the arrival of a new Chairman and CEO, Alain Van Groenendael, 2019 was both a year of completion and new dynamics to prepare the future.

In response to the ways in which business transportation is rapidly changing, the Corporate Vehicle Observatory became the Arval Mobility Observatory in 2019, to provide independent research to understand and anticipate changes in the world of mobility. By joining the MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) Alliance last year, Arval reaffirmed its willingness to build tomorrow’s integrated mobility solutions together with partners. Arval also opened 4 “hubs”, serving as testing labs on cutting edge topics: Connected Cars, Energy Transition, Mobility and Autonomous Cars.

Finally yet importantly, Arval changed its brand platform and tagline for “For the many journeys in life”. A way to show that Arval believes its role goes well beyond car leasing, embraces new mobility means, and answer to the new challenges of a fast pace changing industry.

On the road to 2020, a pivotal year for Arval

2020 will aim at setting the ground for Arval Beyond, Arval’s future strategic plan, making the company ready to grow steadily in a new world, based on its main asset but reinventing its business model.

2020: innovating further

Arval capitalizes more than ever on its SMaRT (Sustainable Mobility and Responsibility Targets) approach to support its clients managing their energy transition. Electric Vehicles are a key part of this methodology because they offer a relevant alternative to more traditional mobility solutions in many cases. Arval has indeed a strong ambition in this matter for 2020: growing at twice the pace of the market, when it comes to EV registrations. Beyond EVs, Arval is convinced that new mobility options are possible and pertinent: not only car-sharing, bike-sharing, ride-sharing but also autonomous shuttle, Arval’s latest innovation inaugurated by Arval France recently.

2020: reinforcing the geographical presence

In 2020, Arval will keep on developing its footprint over the world. Early January, Arval opened offices in Colombia, strengthening its presence in this fast growing LATAM region. 2020 is also the 25 year-anniversary of the Element-Arval Global Alliance, the longest standing strategic alliance in the fleet management industry. The Element-Arval Global Alliance is the worldwide leader in fleet management and currently manages more than 3 million vehicles in more than 50 countries worldwide across North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

“After one year as Chairman and CEO, I am very proud to present such strong results for Arval. Thanks to the commitment of our employees, Arval is ready to change and adapt to its customers’ evolving needs thanks to new services, especially based on mobility. We have exciting times ahead of us: Arval will accompany its clients in all their journeys, through cars, of course, but not only! I will be very pleased to share with you soon our new strategic plan, Arval Beyond”, comments Alain Van Groenendael, Arval Chairman and CEO. 

*Growth rate end of period 2018-2019 on a comparable basis

ARVAL LUXEMBOURG ACHIEVES STRONG FLEET GROWTH OF 26% IN 2019

The Arval Luxembourg fleet grew an impressive 26% in 2019, taking the number of leased vehicles to over 9,000. This performance, which was well above average for Luxembourg’s company car market, clearly demonstrates the value of a strategy based on expert advice and high-quality everyday services.

In December 2019, Arval Luxembourg won the “Most appreciated leasing company of Luxembourg 2019” prize at the Link2Fleet Forum Awards. In receiving this prize, Arval Luxembourg was recognised for offering the best overall quality, capacity for innovation and everyday service quality to its clients.

Overview of Arval’s solutions in 2019

  • The Arval Mid Term Rental (1 to 24-month lease) continued to gain traction on the Luxembourg market, with the number of leases signed rising by almost 41% in 2019. This solution was designed to meet the need for flexibility among Luxembourg companies as a result of spikes in activity, seasonal spikes and the various phases of the recruitment process (trial periods, fixed-term contracts, etc.).
  • At the same time, Arval Luxembourg continued to draw upon its partnership with BGL BNP Paribas to promote its Private Lease via the latter’s branch network. The Private Lease is a long-term vehicle lease solution aimed at private individuals living in Luxembourg. A number of new solutions were brought to market over the course of the year offering a range of models to meet the varying needs of these target private clients.
  • As part of its ongoing commitment to drive innovation on the Luxembourg market, Arval has developed the SMaRT approach: Sustainable Mobility and Responsibility Targets. This five-stage proposal, aligned with Arval’s “green mobility” goal, is used to help clients define and implement an energy transition strategy for their fleets. The SMaRT method was devised to meet clients’ ever-changing needs as they draw up energy transition strategies and to help fleet managers execute and monitor them.

“Arval Luxembourg owes its success to our determination to guarantee impeccable service quality to our clients on a daily basis. Systematic surveys of fleet managers and drivers enable us to quickly detect and, where necessary, resolve potential issues before they arise and guarantee a very high level of satisfaction. These efforts will continue in 2020 as we carry on relying on the expertise of our Luxembourg-based staff, further cross-selling with BGL BNP Paribas and innovative new solutions reflecting our commitment to sustainability,” says Gerry Wagner, Managing Director of Arval Luxembourg.

 Arval Luxembourg contact :

Véronique Bourgois – veronique.bourgois@arval.lu – +352 44 91 80

Press contacts Luxembourg

Eliane Thines – eliane.thines@bgl.lu – +352 42 42 62 64
Corinne Thill – corinne.thill@bgl.lu – +352 42 42 30 85

Arval contacts:

Christelle Paillès – christelle.pailles@arval.com – +33 (0)1 57 69 53 69
Mathilde Aureau – mathilde.aureau@arval.com – +33 (0)1 57 69 54 15