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DETROIT, May 17 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. will transform its Ford Credit sales operations to create 78 multi-brand branches in the United States and Canada over the next two years, the automaker said on Monday.
Regional sales offices for those brands will also be combined, resulting in 11 new regions instead of the 18 currently.
About 30 percent of the 3,100 employees who work at 163 existing Ford Credit branches, which all focus on a single sales organization, and in the regional offices will be asked to relocate or change positions as a result of the plan, Ford said.
However, all affected employees will be offered relocation funds if they choose to transfer, and the new organization is expected to have the same number of employees, a spokeswoman said.
Currently, the sales branches focus on a single platform, such as Jaguar Credit or Ford Credit, but many of the car dealership groups that work with the credit branches are multi-brand, said Ford Credit spokeswoman Melinda Wilson.
The new branches will offer longer hours and larger, brand-specialized staffs, providing more service to dealers on weekends, and career-advancement opportunities for staff, Ford said.