MG utilises West Midlands shopping centres to drive new business

MG is expanding its marketing activities in the West Midlands through a series of pop-up dealer displays at shopping centres in the region.

From today (Monday), the Chinese-owned company is setting dealership residencies in Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and the Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch.

The Touchwood experiment runs until Wednesday, while the Redditch residency runs until September 28. The pop-up dealerships follow on from the success of the flagship pop-up in the intu Merry Hill Centre, which has now been running for nearly a year.

The expansion to the pop-up dealership network follows the dramatic growth of the manufacturer’s main dealer and after sales network, which now stretches to 50 dealers and 13 after sales centres.

All three pop-up displays will feature the MG3, which celebrates its first anniversary this month and which has done much to transform the company’s fortunes during the past 12 months, and the award winning MG6, which the company makes available in both GT fastback and Magnette sports saloon variants.

While sales volumes are currently very small, the company has consistently topped the list of most successful manufacturers during the past eight months in terms of percentage growth. This applies to such an extent that it has been named the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders every month so far in 2014, the iconic marque’s 90th anniversary year.

The Longbridge-based company has also traded on its badge heritage by exhibiting at the latest Superbrands exhibition, which takes place in London, beginning on Thursday.

The Superbrands event, now in its eight year, runs until September 21 and is a showcase for the very best in global contemporary design. It provides an anchor for the London Design Festival. Last year over 21,000 visitors attended the event, which is part of the Festival programme.

MG’s contribution has been to send two of its designers, Martin Ulharik and Louise Thorburn, to take part in the Supertalks Design Exchange event on the future of design and transport design.

The company will also be displaying the latest collection of its MG3 personalisation graphics, which will make their debut at the show, next to the company’s show car.

The personalisation graphics, named the Autumn Additions, will join the existing range of more than one million options currently available in the MG3 range. The design options have already been very popular and have helped to contribute to the MG3’s appeal.

Since the supermini’s launch last year, over 40% of orders have featured at least one specified design addition.