Opened on July 1, Berwick Motor Group’s (BMG) Berwick Kia dealership is also an exercise in controlling the expensive task of building new premises.
BMG owner Nick Strauss said the showroom occupies the site previously used for a Toyota dealership.
“We have kept the workshop and modernised the interior, then built a new showroom at the front,” he said.
“The Toyota volumes for servicing meant the workshop was a decent size, so we have 14 high-tech bays available for Kia. I think that’s the biggest stand-alone Kia workshop in Australia.
“Kia is having significant growth so we can see some significant upside.”
Kia has 127 dealerships in Australia and since opening in 2000, Berwick Kia has been a consistent Top 20 dealer nationally for each of the past 15 years.
Kia Motors Australia told GoAutoNews Premium that in 2013 the Berwick franchise was the brand’s top-selling dealership in Victoria and the third nationally, has been the recipient of multiple Dealer of the Year awards and global platinum awards, and one of the first to built the “Full Red Showroom” with Kia’s latest corporate identity.
The building cost Berwick about $1.8 million to renovate and construct the new showroom, money that Mr Strauss said was well spent and not overboard.
“I did it very cost effectively,” he said.
“I left the service side intact and built a brand new front-end showroom, then painted and renovated the building and the hoists.
“It looks like a new workshop and Kia Australia are extremely happy with it.”
Mr Strauss said it was important to be conscious about costs when looking at showroom design.
“This industry is about making a return on your investment and I think the cost of our new showroom is in line with our future returns,” he said.
Kia Berwick
“Some businesses spend millions on new premises and you have to wonder about how that can ever be recouped. Maybe volume brands can afford to spend more money on their buildings.”
The Kia operation, which employs about 40 people, is next door to Berwick’s Nissan dealership and both are on land owned by the company.
The two businesses share some administrative tasks but the sales and service workshops are separate.
“Kia has done very well over the past few years and we are very optimistic about the future of the brand.
“The Koreans and Chinese are growing to become the movers and shakers in the automotive industry while the Japanese seem to have gone off the boil a bit in regard to their progressiveness and nimbleness,” he said.
By Neil Dowling
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