Borrie steps into CEO role at Arnold Clark Automobiles

Russell Borrie has officially stepped into the chief executive role at Arnold Clark Automobiles, succeeding its veteran leader Eddie Hawthorne (pictured below speaking at Automotive Management Live).

Hawthorne, who has headed the AM100 dealer group for 27 years, announced in January he would step down but will be remaining with Arnold Clark in a mentoring capacity.

Borrie has been at Arnold Clark for more than 30 years, working closely with Hawthorne. He became its group sales director in 2020, then its chief operating officer a year later.

In a personal note on LinkedIn, Borrie said: "Firstly, I want to thank Eddie Hawthorne  for his immense contribution to the Arnold Clark Group. His knowledge, insight and dedication have helped the business thrive.

"Even in the most challenging circumstances, his clarity and resourcefulness have transformed a crisis into an opportunity to make things better. On a more personal note, I am grateful for his friendship and mentorship over the decades we have worked together.

"It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to lead this incredible company and I am delighted to have the help and support of our 12,000 talented employees who work so hard to drive our success.

"We have a strong vision for the future of the business, but we will never forget Sir Arnold’s founding principles."

Arnold Clark Automobiles is the UK's largest family-owned motor retailer. It ranked third in the 2024 AM100 list by turnover, with annual revenues of almost £5 billion and 195 franchised dealerships, plus a network of Motorstore used car supermarkets, vehicle rental and leasing operations, motor auctions, bodyshops, an EV charger installer, the Arnold Clark Autoparts online store and motor factor chain, properties and its own training company.

Its leadership team, which included founder Sir Arnold Clark until his death in 2017, are respected and envied for having built such a successful business.

In the 2024 AM100 Arnold Clark was the only dealer group of its scale to feature in the top 20 most profitable dealer groups, with a return on sales of 2.3%.

The business is a genuine 'one-stop-shop' for motorists and its initiatives include the opening of Innovation Centres to educate consumers about hybrid and electric vehicles, the launch of click-and-collect centres to enable car hunters in any part of the country to purchase from its vast used car stock displayed online, and its acquisition of Bumblebee, an EV charging point installer.

Arnold Clark Automobiles has won the Retailer of the Year trophy at the AM Awards multiple times.