About Group 1 Automotive
Group 1 Automotive is a US-owned automotive dealer network with a significant presence in the UK. Operating over 150 dealerships across premium brands including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen, the organisation manages a large and geographically diverse property portfolio spanning both freehold and leasehold assets.
How a major acquisition created a flood risk blind spot overnight
In August 2024, Group 1 Automotive completed the acquisition of Inchcape, doubling its UK dealership network overnight. With that growth came a significant increase in climate exposure: more sites, more geographic spread and far greater complexity in understanding where the risks sat.
Several dealerships had already attracted insurer scrutiny over flood vulnerability. Without a systematic view across the expanded portfolio, Group 1 could not validate those assessments, prioritise mitigation or demonstrate to insurers that it was actively managing the risk. The business needed independent flood modelling and a live operational system to bring its expanded estate under control.
Getting the whole portfolio into one real-time flood risk system
Group 1 Automotive partnered with SmartResilience to build a centralised, data-driven view of flood risk across its entire UK portfolio. Newly acquired sites were onboarded rapidly, and the platform adapted as the portfolio continued to change.
SmartResilience delivered portfolio-wide visibility through a map-based overview of all assets, advanced flood and climate risk modelling to assess both current and long-term exposure, and real-time monitoring with automated alerts distributed to site managers, risk teams and leadership before weather events escalate. Alongside this, SmartResilience produced structured, insurance-ready reporting that gave Group 1 the evidence base it needed for insurer discussions. The SmartResilience team provided direct, ongoing access and communication throughout the partnership.
Better insurer conversations, prepared sites and one shared view of flood exposure
Group 1 Automotive now has what it lacked at the point of acquisition: a shared, data-backed picture of flood exposure across every site in its estate. Stakeholders across risk, sustainability, leadership and site operations work from the same information.
Limited data had previously constrained insurer conversations. Now they are supported by clear, auditable evidence of what the organisation actively monitors and manages. Site teams receive early warnings before severe weather events reach their locations, with continuity plans ready to activate. The business no longer discovers the scale of a flood event after it has already happened.
Managing a growing property portfolio and need a clearer picture of flood exposure? Book a demo.
