TMG owner Jarrod Thompson said the expansion of his company from its current Shepparton base into Echuca would give it a wide client reach and provide continued support for Holden and Nissan customers.
Mr Thompson, who was brought up in Shepparton and is the third generation of a family with a 55-year relationship with the automotive industry, has held the Holden franchise in Shepparton since 2007 and been a Nissan dealer since 2003.
He said he would return Nissan to Echuca over the coming months after the brand exited the town earlier this year.
TMG’s entrance into Echuca comes after the dealership was sold by the D’Alberto family.
Former owner and dealer principal Ezio D’Alberto, one of four brothers in the dealership group, started after buying the Holden dealership in Kyabram in 1983, later adding the Echuca and Deniliquin dealerships before his retirement this month.
Kyabram Holden was closed in February on weakening sales and the D’Alberto family was told last month that the franchise agreement on its Holden dealership in Deniliquin would not be renewed.
The Deniliquin dealership, then Burchfield Brothers, had represented General Motors since 1926 and had started on the same location as a coach builder in 1858. It was bought by the D’Alberto family in 2013 and, until this year, was Australia’s longest-standing Holden dealer.
Mr Thompson said he was delighted with the opportunities at Echuca and considered it an important, growing town with a thriving regional community.
‘‘We will be able to share resources and vehicles between Echuca and Shepparton to give the communities a greater opportunity to get the vehicle they want,” he said.
He said the Echuca dealership was in excellent condition with a state-of-the-art workshop and large showroom.
Mr Thompson planned to put used cars on the adjoining property. He has employed former Nissan zone manager for Victoria, Matt Spurgeon, as general manager of the Echuca dealership.
By Neil Dowling
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