The PSA Group has combined its Peugeot and Citroën DS fleet teams to form a new PSA corporate sales team in a move which will bring “greater efficiency and reach”, according to director of fleet and used vehicles Martin Gurney.

“Rather than having six territories with two corporate sales managers in each territory - one Citroën DS and one Peugeot - we have 10 territories with one corporate sales manager in each territory so that brings much greater efficiency. For example, the ability to see more customers,” Gurney said.

“From January 3 we're fully PSA. There's not a Peugeot or Citroën DS specialist, if you like, in the team.”

The move marks the end of a “two-year journey”, according to Gurney. He had initially combined the back office support, leasing and rental functions of the different brands but kept the corporate sales teams separate because there “wasn’t really any overlap in the customer database”. 

However, a cross-selling strategy has led to a significant rise in the number of customers who have Peugeot, Citroën and DS models on their fleet.

“We’ve got to the point now where there are more shared customers than separate customers,” Gurney said. “Customers were telling us the time was right to move to a PSA corporate sales structure.”

He added: “We wanted to do it in a measured, controlled way and in a way that was right for the customers. We've finally got there.”

• The PSA Group has also brought together Citroën Contract Motoring and Peugeot Contract Hire to form a new contract hire brand, Free2Move Lease, with a combined fleet of more than 64,000 vehicles. Read an exclusive interview with the new UK MD of Free2Move Lease, Duncan Chumley, in the January 5 issue of Fleet News.