Landmark Cars Ltd - Stock Valuation and Financial Performance

The company was originally incorporated as “Landmark Insurance Broking Private Limited” at Mumbai, Maharashtra as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956, pursuant to a certificate of incorporation dated February 23, 2006, issued by the Registrar of Companies, Maharashtra at Mumbai (“RoC, Mumbai”). The name of the Company was subsequently changed to ‘Landmark Cars Private Limited’ pursuant to a fresh certificate of incorporation granted by the RoC, Mumbai on May 6, 2009. Subsequently, the Company was converted into a public limited company under the Companies Act, 2013, pursuant to the approval accorded by its Shareholders at their extra-ordinary general meeting held on November 10, 2021. Consequently, the name of the Company was changed to “Landmark Cars Limited” and a fresh certificate of incorporation consequent upon conversion from a private limited company to a public limited company was issued to the Company by the Registrar of Companies, Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli at Ahmedabad (“RoC”) on December 3, 2021.

Landmark Cars is a leading premium automotive retail business in India with dealerships for Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Jeep, Volkswagen and Renault. It also has a commercial vehicle dealership with Ashok Leyland in India. It has a presence across the automotive retail value chain, including sales of new vehicles, after-sales service and repairs (including sales of spare parts, lubricants and accessories), sales of pre-owned passenger vehicles and facilitation of the sales of third-party financial and insurance products. It started its operations and opened its first dealership for Honda in CY1998. It is focused on the premium and luxury automotive segments. The company’s after-sales service and spare parts offerings at each of company’s dealerships comprise repair and collision repair services and include both warranty work, insurance claim work and customer paid services. It operate as authorized service centers for Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Volkswagen, Jeep, Renault and Ashok Leyland, and it provide after-sales service and repairs through its after-sales service and spares outlets.

Business area of the company

The company buys and sells pre-owned passenger vehicles at each of its dealerships. The company operates on two business models:  the company facilitates the sale of used vehicles through its appointed panel of agents on a commission basis; and the company also takes the vehicles on its books for sale after any needed refurbishment. It also receives an incentive from its OEMs for used vehicles traded in for new vehicles; this incentive or over-allowance is available to it as a new car dealer and helps it with closing these transactions. It has also implemented a digital SaaS platform developed by Sheerdrive, an auto technology start-up company. Sheerdrive’s technology platform enables digital evaluation and real time used car prices, which will help drive transparency, accuracy and velocity of used car transactions, and will help drive its strategy of combining its physical presence with digital scale and speed.

Major events and milestones

• 1998: The company commenced its Honda dealership in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  
• 2009: The company commenced its Volkswagen dealership in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  
• 2009: The company commenced its Mercedes-Benz dealership in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  
• 2012: The company commenced its Ashok Leyland dealership in Ahmedabad, Kheda, Anand, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Panchmahal and Dahod, all in Gujarat.
  
• 2013: The company commenced its Mercedes-Benz Kolkata dealership in West Bengal.
  
• 2014: Investment by TPG Growth in the Company.
  
• 2016: The company commenced its Renault dealership in Punjab.
  
• 2018: The company acquired a competing Volkswagen dealer in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  
• 2019: Composite Scheme of arrangement and amalgamation in the nature of demerger and amalgamation between the Company, Landmark Commercial Vehicles Private Limited and Watermark Commercial Vehicles Private Limited and their respective shareholders and creditors, approved and sanctioned by the National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad by way of its order dated April 4, 2019.
  
• 2019: Composite Scheme of arrangement and amalgamation in the nature of demerger and amalgamation between the Company, Landmark Automobiles Private Limited and Watermark Automobiles Private Limited and their respective shareholders and creditors, approved and sanctioned by the National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad by way of its order dated April 4, 2019, read with order dated April 15, 2019.
  
• 2019: Composite Scheme of arrangement and amalgamation in the nature of demerger and amalgamation between Company, Automark Motors Private Limited and Watermark Vehicles Private Limited and their respective shareholders and creditors, approved and sanctioned by the National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad by way of its order dated April 4, 2019, read with order dated April 15, 2019.
  
• 2021: Appointed as a dealer for Jeep in Ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab.
  
• 2021: The company opened a Jeep connect showroom in Thane, Maharashtra.
  
• 2021: Acquisition of four service centres of Mercedes-Benz, as a going concern, on a slump sale basis from Shaman Wheels Private Limited in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  
• 2022: The company opened a BYD showroom in NCR.

Awards, accreditations, and recognitions

• 2010: Platinum Award for Best Overall Performance - 2010 Category B Benchmark Cars, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  
• 2013: Highest volume achiever – Bronze was awarded to Landmark Honda at the Annual Dealer Convention, New Delhi.
  
• 2013: HR Partner of the Year 2013 was awarded to Benchmark Cars, Gujarat.
  
• 2015: Exceptional performance in sales satisfaction was awarded to Landmark Honda Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the sales period July – September 2015 by Honda Cars India Limited.
  
• 2015: Mercedes Benz Winner of the best place to work award for 2015 (Category 2) was awarded to Benchmark Cars, Gujarat.
  
• 2018: Benchmark Cars - Gujarat was awarded the Best Partner for Daimler Financial Services Category A H1-2018.
  
• 2019: Group Landmark was awarded the “Customer Centricity” award by Autocar.
  
• 2019: Group Landmark was awarded top dealer of the year (West) at the Auto Retail Forum.