The John McGrath Kia Woden dealership has been described as setting a benchmark in automotive dealerships that will change how dealers deliver their products.
The complex, with extensive use of timber finishes incorporating integrated mood lighting strips, has been designed to look and feel more like a high-class hospitality venue than a car dealership with the aim being to encourage delivery of a premium experience to the customer and to set high standards of operation.
John McGrath Auto Group CEO Warren Gill; Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith; and John McGrath Auto Group managing director John McGrath
The Woden site sits at the gateway to Melrose Drive Phillip, considered Canberra’s ‘auto alley’ that hosts the majority of automotive brands.
The site’s automotive history began in the 1970s as what was then regarded as Canberra’s premier dealership, Brian Pollock Ford.
John McGrath purchased the site from Brian Pollock in 2000 and in 2007 started a multi-million dollar renovation which was completed in 2008. In 2010 John McGrath Auto Group also invested in a considerable upgrade of their Kia Queanbeyan dealership.
The John McGrath Auto Group now has more than 200 employees and has six dealerships in Canberra and Queanbeyan hosting 15 brands including Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, MG, Citroen, Peugeot, Isuzu Ute, GMSV, Ssangyong, Mahindra, Hyundai Commercial and LDV.
John McGrath’s company mantra is “you can’t build a great business without great people” and he says this mantra delivered by his 200-strong team provides the service that makes his group stand apart from the rest.
John McGrath Auto Group CEO Warren Gill said: “The thing that makes us different is the quality of our service. Cars are becoming a commodity item and there is a lot of choice, so you have to provide exceptional customer experiences to be viewed as the preferred choice when buying a car.
“The world is changing at an ever increasing pace and this means the way we do business has had to adapt,” he said.
“Kia is at the forefront of the industry in product and customer service experience and this new dealership is a perfect illustration of that. Canberrans will be proud to host the ‘first of its kind in Australia’.”
Kia Australia general manager of network development, Sam Hinton, said: “John McGrath Auto Group has always been strong supporters of the Kia brand, therefore it’s great to have them at the forefront of our corporate identity upgrade.
“The redeveloped site has transitioned into a state-of-the-art modern dealership, offering customers a world class retail experience.”
The dealership design features are in line with Kia offering a range of electric vehicles alongside current petrol and diesel models.
As part of the group’s commitment to electric vehicles it features a dedicated multi-port charging station that can accommodate multiple EVs at the same time.
By Neil Dowling
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