Bentley’s new global retail concept places individual commissioning at the center of the dealership experience, giving customers a dedicated space to explore colors, leather, veneers and finishes alongside digital representations of their chosen specification. Debuting at Jack Barclay in London, the format is intended to shape the marque’s network of more than 220 retailers in over 60 markets.
For buyers interested in a Bentley’s particular combination of materials and finishes, the most consequential element is the Atelier. This commissioning space brings physical samples and digital configuration tools together, making the process of developing a specification a central part of the retailer visit.
A Dedicated Space for Individual Commissions
The Atelier draws on the craftsmanship and materials found at Bentley’s Crewe factory. Customers can examine an extensive selection of leathers, veneers, finishes and colors, then see their selections applied through a 3D car configurator connected directly to an LED wall.
That combination addresses a practical part of commissioning a car: a physical sample reveals texture and finish, while a digital rendering helps show how individual choices work together across the vehicle. Bentley’s new format allows customers and retailer staff to move between those two views as a specification develops.
The emphasis also changes what occupies the center of the showroom. Alongside the finished cars, Bentley is giving greater prominence to the choices that distinguish one commission from another. For a marque whose appeal includes the breadth of its personalization options, the Atelier makes those possibilities more visible from the beginning of the buying process.
A Showroom Organized Around the Customer
The surrounding retail space follows the same approach. Bentley is moving away from a conventional linear showroom layout toward gallery and lounge areas that frame individual cars within a more relaxed setting. A curved glass entrance leads customers toward a bar, which replaces the traditional reception desk.
Dedicated handover areas use digital displays and curated lighting to present a completed commission. These spaces can also serve as the starting point for a test drive, extending the format beyond configuration to the customer’s first experience of the car.
The architecture incorporates familiar Bentley references, including curved forms inspired by the winged badge, a reinterpretation of the marque’s diamond pattern and recurring use of Bentley Green. Integrated lighting contributes to the exterior identity and guides customers through the interior, highlighting cars, materials and architectural details.
“Our retailers are one of the most important physical expressions of Bentley, and this new concept fundamentally rethinks how customers experience our brand in-person,” said Christophe Georges, Bentley’s board member for sales and marketing.
London Debut, Global Application
Jack Barclay, established in 1927 and operated by H.R. Owen, is the world’s oldest Bentley retailer. Its selection as the first location places the new concept within a longstanding part of the marque’s retail history.
Bentley has designed the format as a modular system, allowing retailers to adapt it to different buildings, footprints and architectural requirements while maintaining a consistent identity. Further locations will follow the London debut, although Bentley has not provided a detailed rollout schedule.
For customers, the clearest change is the prominence given to the commissioning process. With material samples, configuration tools and space for consultation built into the heart of the retailer, Bentley is making individualization a more substantial part of how its cars are presented and purchased.
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