AUSTRALIA’S biggest automotive retailer has added another Jaguar Land Rover outlet, with its greenfields site in Melbourne’s Essendon Fields this week open for business.

It is the fifth dealership in Essendon for Automotive Holdings Group Ltd. In April last year AHG bought Essendon Ford and Mitsubishi dealerships from Wirraway Road Trading for $8.5 million plus stock and assets.

It added Essendon Kia and Essendon Nissan last month after buying the two stand-alone showrooms from owner Tony Sitch.
Essendon Kia was relocated to Essendon Fields with a greenfields development that opened in September 2016.

The new JLR dealership sits on a 9300 square metre site and has a 1915 sq.m showroom and office, including the mezzanine level. The substantial showroom can house 18 vehicles.

The dealership also features a drive-through service reception and a 1680 sq.m workshop with 20 service and repair bays.

AHG has appointed James Karakostas as dealer principal.

 

When announcing its expansion into Essendon Fields last year, AHG managing director John McConnell said that the addition of the Ford and Mitsubishi Essendon dealerships “represented a valuable addition to the company’s presence in the Victorian capital”.

“The Essendon Fields precinct is a well-recognised retail automotive location and these acquisitions add to our presence in Melbourne,” he said.

“We expect to drive both incremental revenue and cost synergies across the two dealerships.”

Mr McConnell then hinted that more acquisitions and expansions could be made within Essendon Fields in line with the company’s preference to create retail hubs.

By Neil Dowling