Larke Hoskins Honda, owned by Tony Azzi, a 30-year veteran of the brand, has been Honda’s new-car sales champion for years.
Last year it was Australia’s biggestselling Honda dealer for the fifth time with 1692 Honda sales, a huge 606 cars ahead of the second-placed dealer with 1086 sales.
Larke Hoskins’ general manager of sales Nick Karagiannis said the sales difference represented 6.7 months of trading.
Mr Karagiannis said the dealership completed the sales “despite being the least corporate looking of Honda dealers in the country”.
“It’s probably the smallest, oldest and most run-down dealership in the country,” he said. “But it’s very effective at winning sales.”
Despite its success, Mr Karagiannis said the Homebush dealership has “never been recognised by Honda Australia and has yet to receive any acknowledgement from the distributor despite our incredible sales performance”.
“I believe Honda and its executives are totally embarrassed because the Homebush dealership contradicts all their corporate redevelopments and representations of their franchise,” he said.
“It’s disappointing and it’s very bad for staff morale.”
Honda Rosebery
In response, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said: “Honda Australia has for many years run a national Dealer Excellence Reward Program. This recognises outstanding performance across all areas of a dealer’s business.
“Sales volume is one measurement but others include customer satisfaction and aftersales performance. Later this week we will announce the winners of the 2015 Honda Dealer Excellence Awards.”
Larke Hoskins employs 42 people at its Homebush outlet and 40 at Rosebery. It has one of Australia’s biggest used car outlets with 600 cars at both sites. Homebush is the dealership’s primary Honda outlet.
Meanwhile, GoAutoNews Premium has learned that the Rosebery branch may be on the move, lured to another location because of soaring property values at its inner-city Sydney site.
It is understood that Larke Hoskins Honda’s second shop, in Epsom Road in Rosebery, may have to make way for redevelopment.
Mr Azzi, who has been a Honda dealer on the site for almost 20 years, also owns the property. It is believed the 14,200-square-metre site could be developed to house up to 500 apartments, making it valued at around the $180 million mark.
But a spokesman for Mr Azzi said the property was not currently listed for sale and that it could be developed by the owner. No decision has been made about a move of the existing Honda dealership in Rosebery but Mr Azzi is believed to wish to retain the two branches.
By Neil Dowling
Honda Homebush
