Timing it to the closure of the physical showroom during the COVID restrictions, the Sime Darby-owned dealership has gutted its showroom and ripped up the tiles.

The cafe and lifestyle store will move from the rear of the showroom to the centre. Parramatta BMW dealer principal Joel Shashoua said it would focus the customers “at the centre of everything we do.”

He told GoAutoNews Premium that the redevelopment was triggered by a need to make the showroom – which when built was one of the biggest BMW dealers in the country – more efficient and customer friendly.

“It’s more about the customer experience on the inside than making the building pretty on the outside,” he said.

“We think this will be completed in about four weeks.

“The showroom is a long rectangle with one corner for the Mini Garage and behind that the cafe and lifestyle store. 

“The cafe and lifestyle store will both come to the centre of the showroom so we have had to rip up the tiles at the centre of the room.

“We are also building a new M Performance lounge upstairs with its own delivery area. If you buy an M car you go to that specific lounge and transact there and take delivery of your new M model BMW there.”  

Mr Shashoua said sales were now happening through the online showroom with the sales team available to guide customers through the process.

“We are very heavily biased to walk-in customers,” he said, “with the busiest time around Sunday afternoon because for most people in the area, this is the only time they get outside their working week.”

“But customers are loving the online experience and especially us dropping the car off at their house, with a gift.

“We have trained sales staff for years that the test drive is extremely important but we have now found that people research a lot more and are more comfortable about buying a car – especially a BMW – online without a test drive because they know a brand like ours is going to be a great car to drive.”

By Neil Dowling