Arval specialises in full service vehicle leasing and new sustainable mobility solutions. Thanks to the quality of its services, its ability to react quickly and seize new opportunities, the resilience of its business and the solidity of the BNP Paribas Group, Arval outdid the rest of the market in 2020.

In 2020, Arval’s leased fleet grew by 6.4%* compared to 2019, reaching 1,381,555 vehicles. The Corporate financed fleet reached one million vehicles in 2020. The Retail segment grew by 15.7%, including 100,000 vehicles on private lease. The Mid-term Rental segment grew by 6%. Arval’s 7,200 employees serve 300,000 customers in 30 countries.

2020, a strong year despite the pandemic

During the health crisis, Arval's teams were mobilised across the world to make sure the services it offers to customers continue in a secure manner. Thanks to its robust IT infrastructure, more than 99% of Arval employees were able to work from home safely from March 2020. The company also provided nearly 350 vehicles free of charge to healthcare workers in twelve countries. In this context, Arval has actively supported its customers throughout the crisis, offering flexibility in contractual terms and contract extensions. Arval has accelerated its remarketing strategy throughout the Covid19 crisis, complementing its B2B sales activities with a Retail offer supported by a fully digital customer journey. In response to new post-lockdown mobility trends, in May 2020 the company launched “The Journey Goes On”, a pioneering service designed to help and support Arval’s customers restart their business with safe, sustainable, and cost-effective mobility solutions. 

2020 highlights

After its 30th anniversary in 2019, Arval took an important step by presenting its new strategic plan, Arval Beyond, in October 2020, preparing the company to grow steadily in a new world, based on its main strengths while rethinking its business model to respond to customer needs.

Arval Beyond translates into four different offers: mobility in addition to cars with, for instance, the recent launch of bike leasing in eight countries (360° Mobility), technology for the benefit of Arval’s customers (Connected & Flexible), strong partnerships (Arval Inside) and sustainability at the core of everything (Good for you, Good for all).

Driven by a sense of responsibility towards society and its customers, in 2020 Arval developed a strong CSR strategy to respond to environmental issues, setting up unparalleled goals for 2025: half a million electrified vehicles leased and an average reduction of 30% in CO2 emissions for its entire fleet. In 2020, Arval assumed its role as an advocate for electric mobility and grew at twice the pace of the market in terms of Battery Electric Vehicle orders, taking into account the global market per country. Arval is also actively addressing diversity issues. With the “Arval Women in Action” Career Programme, for example, Arval is convinced that the women of today will pave the way for the women of tomorrow.

Fully in line with the new offer, Arval Inside, 2020 saw the renewal or launch of partnerships forged with major partners around the globe, including SIXT (beginning with Germany, France, the Netherlands, UK and Belgium) and CaixaBank Payments & Consumer group in Spain and Portugal. A new cooperation agreement was also signed with Unicredit Bank Austria, strengthening Arval’s position in the country with the acquisition of UniCredit Leasing Fuhrparkmanagement GmbH. All of these partnerships are based on a strong focus to provide a digital customer experience and expand the range of products and services with shared, connected and electrified mobility solutions.

Arval’s growth in 2020 not only came through strong partnerships, but also through geographical expansion. The company reinforced its presence in Latin America, opening a new subsidiary in Colombia in partnership with Relsa. This confirms Arval’s growth alongside its partners in the Latin American region.

Expanding horizons in 2021 with the first year of Arval Beyond

In 2021, Arval will continue to deploy its strategy through concrete objectives. Amongst this year’s projects are:

• New services to better care for corporate needs: Mobility Hub, Mobility App, Mobility Consulting, as part of the Arval Beyond’s 360° Mobility offer.
• A renewed ambition to double the Battery Electric Vehicles orders market, backed by a transformational CSR project to be launched in June 2021 
• An ambitious partnerships programme to reach new populations and frontiers.

“The crisis in 2020 confirmed the priorities we defined for Arval Beyond as something our customers needed. Arval is even stronger today and is leading the market in terms of performance, pioneering spirit and its CSR commitments. I am very confident about the year ahead; we have numerous projects and initiatives planned. The investments we make today will strengthen our vision through 2021 and the years to come, and we expect to exceed 2020’s performance in terms of fleet growth this year”, says Alain van Groenendael, Arval Chairman and CEO.

*Growth rate for the end of the period 2019-2020 on a comparable basis.

**multibrand full service leasing

ARVAL LUXEMBOURG: ROBUST GROWTH OF 18% IN THE LEASED FLEET IN 2020

In 2020, Arval strengthened its position as a major player on Luxembourg’s operational lease market for company vehicles and transport solutions. Its fleet grew by an impressive 18% during the year, taking the number of leased vehicles to over 10,000. This growth, which outpaced that of the wider Luxembourg operational lease market, constitutes a continuation of a trend in place for several years and a fitting tribute to the continuity of service quality offered by Arval Luxembourg throughout the health crisis.

Arval Luxembourg was again awarded the “Best Workplace Luxembourg 2020” label by the Great Place to Work institute, in recognition of the high-quality working conditions available to members of staff. This accolade, which underscores the well-being of Arval employees, is testament to the constructive dialogue engaged in by the management team and the wider workforce.

In November 2020, Arval Luxembourg strengthened its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by deciding to support Reforest’Action, a social enterprise whose primary mission is to raise awareness and protect forests.

As part of this commitment, Arval Luxembourg is pledging to plant 10,000 trees in Luxembourg over the 2020-2021 planting season.

Overview of Arval Luxembourg’s solutions in 2020:

• The Arval Mid Term Rental (1 to 24-month lease) continued to prove successful on the Luxembourg market, with the number of leases signed rising by almost 25% in 2020. This solution meets Luxembourg companies’ need for flexibility as a result of spikes in activity, seasonal spikes, the various phases of the recruitment process (trial periods, fixed-term contracts, etc.) and even requirements relating to the current health crisis.
• Arval Luxembourg continued to draw upon its partnership with BGL BNP Paribas to promote its Private Lease via the latter’s branch network. The Private Lease is a long-term vehicle lease solution aimed at private individuals living in Luxembourg. A number of new solutions were brought to market over the course of the year to meet the varying needs of these target private clients. Particular emphasis was placed on promoting new electric and hybrid vehicles.
   
• As part of its ongoing commitment to drive innovation on the Luxembourg market, Arval Luxembourg launched a new green transport solution designed to make it simpler for companies, municipalities and individuals to access electric and hybrid vehicles.

For the price of a monthly lease payment, this solution includes:

1. operational lease of electric/hybrid vehicles offering technological innovations that provide drivers with ever-greater autonomy,
2. as well as easier access to electric charging infrastructure through the installation of charging points located on company premises or at drivers’ homes.

For further evidence of Arval Luxembourg’s determination to offer a comprehensive range of solutions, we need only consider the Arval Easy Travel solution, launched in the second half of 2020, which enables drivers to occasionally swap their main electric vehicle for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine when they need to. This could include a vehicle better suited to holiday travel or any other vehicle that meets drivers’ ad-hoc needs.

Véronique Bourgois, Managing Director of Arval Luxembourg, comments: “The results achieved in 2020 amid one of the most challenging health crises ever seen vindicates the strategic direction we adopted several years ago: our teams’ unfailing support for clients and the flexibility of our services proved particularly beneficial in terms of client satisfaction. Guided by the Arval Beyond strategy, we will rely on the high-quality service offered by our Luxembourg-based team and our expertise in green transport solutions in 2021.”