Groupe Bernard

What Groupe Bernard does

Groupe Bernard is a privately held, family-owned French automotive and commercial vehicle distribution group headquartered in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), founded approximately 100 years ago and operated continuously by the Bernard family. The group runs 120 physical establishments — 80 automotive concessionnaires and 33 heavy-truck concessionnaires — concentrated in eastern France across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est, and Hauts-de-France regions. Its revenue reached €2 billion in 2024 on the strength of new and used passenger vehicle sales, heavy truck sales, after-sales workshop activity (1 million workshop hours in 2024), spare parts, and Hertz-branded rental services.

The group's product portfolio spans 16 automotive brands — including Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Nissan, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Abarth, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, and the Chinese EV brands Leapmotor, MG, and OMODA/JAECOO — plus three heavy-truck brands (Renault Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Clovis) and Iveco Bus for public transport. The model is a multi-brand authorized dealership franchise: revenue is generated primarily through one-time vehicle sales (new and used), recurring workshop service revenue, parts distribution, and rental fees via Hertz. The group operates used-vehicle sales through its Autobernard sub-brand and heavy-truck activities through Bernard Trucks, with supporting services under Fispar.

The business is a classic channel-partner go-to-market with no proprietary technology, no direct online sales, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Distribution is the core asset — physical proximity to customers across eastern France, OEM franchise rights spanning mass-market to premium and now EV, and an integrated service ecosystem that captures revenue across the vehicle lifecycle. The structure is wholly family-controlled with no external investors, no parent company, and no public listing.

Name

Groupe Bernard

Legal name

GROUPE BERNARD

Website

https://groupe-bernard.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Groupe Bernard is a family-owned French automotive and commercial-vehicle dealer group operating 120 establishments across eastern France, distributing 16 passenger-car brands and 3 heavy-truck brands, and generating €2B in 2024 revenue from vehicle sales, servicing, and Hertz rental.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bourg-en-bresse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Automotive vehicle sales: Sale of new and used passenger vehicles through dealership network representing multiple automotive brands
2. Heavy truck/industrial vehicle sales: Sale of new and used commercial vehicles and heavy trucks through specialized concessionnaires
3. After-sales services: Vehicle maintenance, repair services, and spare parts sales through workshop operations - 1M workshop hours recorded in 2024
4. Vehicle rental: Vehicle rental services through Hertz agency network

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Bernard operates a multi-brand automotive and commercial vehicle dealership network across eastern France, selling new passenger vehicles (16 brands), new heavy trucks and buses (3 truck brands plus Iveco Bus), and used vehicles. The group complements vehicle sales with after-sales maintenance and repair services (1 million workshop hours in 2024), spare parts supply, and short-term vehicle rental operated under the Hertz franchise brand across 120 establishments.

Product overview

Groupe Bernard is a family-owned automotive and commercial vehicle distribution group operating a multi-brand dealership network. The company offers passenger vehicles through 16 automotive brands (Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Nissan, Autobernard, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Abarth, Leapmotor, MG, OMODA/JAECOO, Mercedes-Benz, Smart) and commercial vehicles through 3 truck brands (Renault Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Clovis) plus Iveco Bus for public transport. The group also operates vehicle rental services under the Hertz brand. The portfolio includes new vehicle sales, used vehicle sales (30,000 units in 2024), and workshop services (1 million workshop hours in 2024) across 80 automotive and 33 truck concessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Autobernard: Used vehicle sales brand operating under groupe-bernard.fr and autobernard.com
• Bernard Trucks

Products and services

• New passenger vehicle sales

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Renault GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor automotive brand represented through dealership network; includes Renault, Dacia, and Alpine brands
• StellantiscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Peugeot, Citroën, and DS Automobiles brands through dealership network
• Mercedes-Benz GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, Smart, and Mercedes-Benz Trucks through separate dealer networks
• Stellantis (Fiat/Abarth)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Fiat and Abarth brands through dealership network
• NissanmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Nissan brand through automotive dealer network
• IvecomajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Iveco Bus brand for commercial bus and coach sales through heavy truck network
• HertzmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates vehicle rental locations under Hertz franchise brand within group establishments
• MG MotorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents MG brand for electric and hybrid vehicles through dealer network
• LeapmotorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents Leapmotor brand (Chinese EV manufacturer) through dealer network
• OMODA/JAECOOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents OMODA and JAECOO brands (Chery sub-brands) through dealer network

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Auto1 Group SE: European online used-car platform with brand and remarketing operations; emerging competitor to Bernard's 30,000-unit/year Autobernard used-vehicle business via a digital-first model.
• Stellantis &You: Captive retail network of Stellantis brands (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Opel, etc.); overlaps directly with Bernard's Stellantis-franchised sites but operates under OEM control.
• Renault Retail Group: OEM-captive dealer network selling Renault, Dacia, and Alpine at company-owned sites; competitor for the same franchises Bernard represents, but structurally constrained by single-OEM ownership.

Direct peers

• Groupe Dubreuil: French family-controlled automotive distribution and services group with multi-brand dealerships and ancillary activities — directly comparable family-owned multi-brand French dealer peer.
• Groupe Parot: French multi-brand automotive dealer group operating across multiple regions with a mix of new vehicle, used vehicle, and after-sales activities — directly comparable in scale, model, and customer base to Groupe Bernard.
• Groupe GCA: French Toyota and Lexus dealer group with a regional multi-site retail network and integrated after-sales; closest French peer in terms of brand-portfolio-led regional dealer model.
• Emil Frey France: French subsidiary of Swiss Emil Frey Group, operating a multi-brand premium-leaning dealer network in France — direct competitor for the same OEM franchises (Mercedes, BMW, etc.) in overlapping French regions.

Broad incumbents

• Inchcape plc: London-listed global automotive distributor with multi-brand retail operations across multiple markets; comparable business model but operates at significantly larger scale and across geographies.
• D'Ieteren Group: Belgian-listed automotive distribution and services group encompassing a large dealer network across Belgium and beyond; comparable in operating model but materially larger and broader in scope.
• Hedin Mobility Group: Large European multi-brand automotive dealer group with operations in several countries; comparable multi-brand dealer model but geographically focused on the Nordics rather than France.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GroupeBernard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-bernard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Groupe Bernard