Goodfellows, the Walsall Peugeot dealership, has become one of the first in the country to adopt the manufacturer's new corporate identity.

The new showpiece dealership is located on a 1.5-acre site and represents an investment of £1.7m to include an eight-car showroom, a spiral staircase and air conditioning.

Goodfellows is one of 15 dealerships in the UK to have adopted the new Peugeot branding. A further 15 are due to be transformed by the end of the year.

Peter Haynes, director of Peugeot's new business institute, said: “The public face of our dealerships will change as exterior and interior treatments introduced by the new corporate identity result in modern, stylish and welcoming premises encapsulating the brand values. Each element of the brand identity can be adapted to meet the budget, timescale and dealerships' individual requirements. Peugeot has begun introducing a new corporate identity across its 360-plus dealer network after a successful pilot scheme in Derby.

Mirroring Toyota's £40m revamp scheme, announced in March, Peugeot dealerships are being encouraged to have a much more welcoming atmosphere, less reliant on salesman's patter than on meet-and-greet hosts, soft furnishings, children's play areas, subtle lighting - and sales staff in the shadows waiting to be summoned at the appropriate time.

The new corporate identity was piloted at the Robins & Day outlet, Pavilion Motors, in Derby and is being introduced in new-build sites around the country. Peugeot is waiting for the outcome of next year's Block Exemption review before it extends the new image across its UK network.

A Peugeot spokesman said it wanted its dealerships to be less “intimidating”.

“Rather than having a salesman on the sales floor, there will be someone to meet-and-greet, who will make the customer comfortable and offering them a drink. And only introducing the sales staff when the time is right,” he said.

##Goodfellows--none--The new Goodfellows' dealership##