The Herbert Köpper dealership in Dorsten has won the "Used Car Award 2020". On the eve of the "German Remarketing Congress" in Würzburg on February 17, 2020, the trade magazine "Gebrauchtwagen Praxis" presented the award in Würzburg together with partners Dekra, Real Garant and Santander Consumer Bank.

The Herbert Köpper dealership came out on top in this year's competition for the "Used Car Award". The first-place winner is a Mercedes-Benz Young Star Partner in Dorsten and part of the Köpper automotive group, which also owns Audi, VW and VW Commercial Vehicles dealerships at the same location. The dealership has been one of the best Young Star dealerships in Germany for years - both in sales and service. Managing Director Markus Pettendrup and his team rely on a high level of customer orientation as the basis of their business success. This means that interested parties receive personal feedback from a salesperson even after closing time - guaranteed until 11 pm. "We move with the market," is the credo of the managing director, who can boast a continuously successful business development and is always coming up with new ideas. These include the Köpper Classic division with its own showroom, which has been selling affordable Mercedes-Benz classic cars for three years.

"The Köpper dealership focuses on the needs of its customers with remarkable consistency," said Silvia Lulei, editor-in-chief of "Gebrauchtwagen Praxis", commenting on the decision. The jury presented the "Used Car Award" to the Köpper dealership for the second time. In 2013, Markus Pettendrup and his team once again came first in the industry competition.

Jens Urlichs, Head of Retail Brand Presence & Future Projects Retail at Mercedes-Benz AG, gave the laudatory speech for this year's first-place winner: "The Köpper dealership is a pioneer in the online used car business," praised Urlichs. He continued: "Customer satisfaction has always played a key role at Köpper. We would also have honored you today - you do a great job!"

Fischer Automobile in Neumarkt came in second place. The dealership is part of a multi-brand company that owns three other locations. The group of companies deals with the VW Group brands VW, VW Commercial Vehicles, Audi, Seat, Cupra as well as Fiat and Fiat Professional. In the used car business, the dealership operates according to three premises that must be fulfilled: Profit optimization through clever purchasing, high quality awareness and optimal price management. "You have turned a small business into a highly professional company with extremely high throughput," said Thomas Meuser, Head of Used Car Sales at Volkswagen AG, praising the dealership's performance: "We are proud to have a strong partner like Fischer Automobile in our network."

Third place was shared by Autohaus Weeber in Weil der Stadt and Popp Fahrzeugbau in Erfurt. Autohaus Weeber represents the VW, VW Commercial Vehicles, Audi, Skoda and Seat brands in eight branches at four locations. The used car business is all about increasing digital efficiency. This includes digital workflows in used car management, which make employees' day-to-day work easier and speed up processes. "We like to bring retail partners from other countries into contact with Autohaus Weeber because it consistently demonstrates how digitalization can work in retail. They are a real beacon for us," said Thomas Meuser in his second speech of the evening.

Popp Fahrzeugbau is a traditional company for Volvo and Renault commercial vehicles that operates ten branches in Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony. The company has only been trading in passenger cars since 2014; the Volvo dealership in Erfurt was added two years ago. The main task of branch manager Christian Jaekel and his team was to build a positive brand and company image and to define and digitalize processes. Ralph Kranz, member of the Volvo Car Germany Management Board, Customer Retention and Used Cars, emphasized the "spirit and commitment" at the locations as well as the overall performance of the company: "The Popp teams not only shine with constantly growing numbers, but also with outstanding service, among other things".

The winners of the "Used Car Award 2020":

- 1st place: Herbert Köpper car dealership, Dorsten

- 2nd place: Fischer Automobile, Neumarkt

- 3rd place: Autohaus Weeber, Weil der Stadt

- 3rd place: Popp Fahrzeugbau, Erfurt

"Gebrauchtwagen Praxis" is the leading information service for the professional used car business. The spectrum of topics covered by the monthly trade journal ranges from sales and purchasing to legal and tax aspects through to preparation and service. www.gebrauchtwagenpraxis.de offers useful tools, a database with exclusive KBA data, as geodata with in-depth selection down to local authority level. The parent company Vogel Communications Group is one of the leading service providers for B2B communication in the German-speaking world. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. With four agencies in Berlin, the Group offers comprehensive communications expertise. The Group's services range from specialist media, corporate publishing, social media services, PR, trade fair services, networks and communities to market intelligence & insights and an in-house congress center.