Auto Bernard

What Auto Bernard does

Auto Bernard is the multi-brand automotive retail arm of BERNARD PARTICIPATIONS, a private SAS headquartered in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, and part of the family-owned Groupe Bernard operating since 1920. The business runs a network of 110 concessions across eastern France (from Saint-Quentin to Valence, including Lyon, Grenoble, Reims, Chambéry, Besançon, and Annecy) representing 15+ manufacturers: Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Dacia, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, MG Motor, Fiat, Abarth, Alpine, Smart, plus newer entrants Leapmotor, Microlino, and Omoda | Jaecoo. Its core offering is a used-vehicle marketplace of 4,307+ units alongside new-vehicle sales, light commercial vehicle sales, and trade-in, financing, maintenance, and repair services. Vehicle stock categories span berline, break, citadine, électrique, monospace, SUV/4x4, utilitaire, and petit budget, addressing both individual consumers (daily commuting, family, urban, eco-conscious) and professional/utility buyers needing fleet solutions.

The technology underpinning the operation is a Magento-style e-commerce storefront at autobernard.com featuring a configurable catalog filtered by category, brand, model, price, mileage, and transmission; a €290 online reservation flow with a 7-day cooling-off period and home-delivery option; an SSL-secured financing calculator referencing offers "starting from €70/month"; and an online maintenance/repair appointment scheduler keyed by license plate. The site is integrated with Google Sign-In, Facebook login, and Google reCAPTCHA, with e-commerce operations handled through the wholly-owned subsidiary LOCATRANS. Ancillary paid attach units include a €199 registration certificate, optional extended warranty, paint protection, and delivery packs.

The revenue model combines transactional streams (new and used vehicle sales including reservation fees, trade-in buybacks, workshop service fees) with transaction-fee streams (financing arranged through external credit and leasing partners). Customer acquisition runs through a hybrid of digital channels (site, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, email/newsletter) and the physical dealership footprint for test drives, handover, and aftersales. Workforce is reported at 1,001–5,000 employees, with 650+ annual hires channeled through the Bernard Academy apprenticeship and professional reconversion programs (8% of headcount). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; share capital stands at €17,894,888.

Name

Auto Bernard

Legal name

BERNARD PARTICIPATIONS

Website

https://autobernard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Auto Bernard is a family-owned French multi-brand automotive dealership network operating 110 concessions across eastern France under Groupe Bernard, selling new and used vehicles (4,307+ stock), light commercial vehicles, financing, trade-in, and maintenance services to consumers and small-business buyers via physical showrooms and the autobernard.com e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bourg-en-bresse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales (New and Used): Sale of new and used vehicles through 110 dealerships. Revenue from vehicle sales price, with online reservation fee of 290€ per vehicle reservation. Additional fees for registration/certificate of title (199€), optional extended warranty, paint protection, delivery packs.
2. Financing Services: Partnership with financial partners to offer vehicle financing solutions including credit and leasing options with personalized monthly payment calculations
3. Vehicle Maintenance and Repair: Workshop services for vehicle maintenance and repair with online appointment booking, loaner vehicle availability, and simplified scheduling
4. Vehicle Trade-in (Reprise): Vehicle buyback service with or without purchase of replacement vehicle, with online estimation tools

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Auto Bernard is a multi-brand automotive dealership network operating 110 physical concessions across eastern France, selling new and used passenger vehicles and utility vehicles across 15+ marques. The offering is supported by in-house after-sales workshops, vehicle trade-in (reprise), financing partnerships, and an online reservation platform listing 4,307+ used vehicles available for nationwide reservation.

Product overview

Auto Bernard operates as a multi-brand automotive dealership network offering a comprehensive vehicle marketplace with both new and pre-owned vehicle sales across 15+ brands (including Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Dacia, DS, Fiat, Abarth, Alpine, Leapmotor, Microlino, Omoda | Jaecoo, and Smart). The core offering consists of a used car platform (with over 4,307 vehicles) and new car sales, complemented by utility/commercial vehicle sales, online reservation and payment systems, vehicle trade-in services, maintenance and repair workshop services, and financing solutions. The company operates through a network of 110 concessions primarily in eastern France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used vehicles (Voitures d'occasion)
• New vehicles (Voitures neuves)
• Utility and commercial vehicles (Véhicules utilitaires)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4307+ used vehicles in stock
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LOCATRANScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAS subsidiary of BERNARD PARTICIPATIONS mandated to handle online vehicle reservations through autobernard.com. Manages the e-commerce platform operations, payment processing, and reservation system for new and used vehicles.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Jean Lain Mobilités: Multi-brand automotive retailer with strong presence in the Rhône-Alpes/Auvergne region (geographic overlap with Auto Bernard's eastern France territory), directly comparable in multi-brand new/used vehicle sales and after-sales model.

Direct peers

• Groupe Jean Rouyer Automobiles: Independent French multi-brand automotive dealer group offering new vehicles, used vehicles, financing, and maintenance across multiple OEM franchises — a direct competitor to Auto Bernard's business model.
• BodemerAuto: Western France-based multi-brand automotive retailer with new and used vehicle sales and after-sales services, comparable in scale and multi-OEM representation to Auto Bernard's operations.
• Emil Frey France: Swiss-headquartered multi-brand automotive retail group with substantial French operations across multiple OEMs, directly comparable to Auto Bernard in multi-brand dealership strategy and new/used vehicle + after-sales model.
• Groupe Mary (Mary Automobiles): French multi-brand dealer group representing several of the same OEMs as Auto Bernard (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Mercedes), with new/used vehicle sales, financing, and after-sales — a close regional/national peer in scale and brand mix.
• Groupe Maurin: Multi-brand dealer group covering multiple French regions with similar OEM brand portfolio and full-service vehicle retail offerings, directly comparable to Auto Bernard's model.
• Hess Automobile: Multi-brand automotive dealer group with French operations covering multiple brands and a similar full-service sales/after-sales model. Directly comparable as a multi-franchise dealer network.
• Eden Auto: Multi-brand automotive retailer operating across multiple French regions with new and used vehicle sales, financing, and after-sales — comparable in scope and franchise structure to Auto Bernard.

Broad incumbents

• Stellantis &You (ex-PSA Retail): OEM-owned (Stellantis) dealer network selling Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Fiat across France — a major captive competitor representing several of the same brands Auto Bernard carries, but operating as part of Stellantis rather than independently.
• Renault Retail Group: OEM-owned (Renault) dealer network across France selling new and used Renault and Dacia vehicles with full after-sales — an incumbent competitor in the same OEM franchises Auto Bernard holds, though captive to Renault/Dacia rather than multi-brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Auto Bernard