The official opening of the new Alan Day Motor Group Kia dealership in West Hendon, London, was attended by a host of sporting stars as well as Kia UK president and CEO Paul Philpott.
The 80,000 square foot site, described as a multi-million-pound development, features space for more than 200 new and used vehicles.
The site’s workshop features 14 service ramps – with a further 12 planned for installation early next year – along with
Other facilities at the dealership – said to have created more than 25 new jobs – include quiet rooms, breakout areas and dedicated training facilities.
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Speaking at the opening, Philpott said: “It makes me incredibly proud to be able to officially open this new dealership and I wish the whole team here the very best of luck. Not that you’re going to need it.
“I have no doubt this is going to be an incredibly successful dealership. I know now that we’ve got the name Alan Day on the outside of this fabulous new building, this dealership is going to be amongst our very best in the whole country.”
Paul Tanner, MD at Alan Day, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Kia for giving us the opportunity to be a part of their network, but also for their help with this site. We couldn’t have asked for more.
“We can do everything on site – sales, services, and we have a massive parts operation that runs like clockwork. That is important to our business. We are even opening a special late night servicing operation with Uber to help them.”
Tanner said that customer service and getting to know the community was an essential goal for his whole team.
He said: “It is so important to be face-to-face, building relationships with your customers. That means, they are going to come back time and time again to buy a car because we look after them and we get referral business from their family and from their friends.”
Football and rugby names present
Among the sporting figures to attend the opening was former Crystal Palace football player and manager Alan Pardew, who presented a signed shirt celebrating the team’s Europa Conference League victory to Crystal Palace fan Philpott.
Also in attendance were current and former England rugby players including Ben Earl, Chandler Cunningham-South, Theo Dan, Ben Cohen, Marlie Packer and Rosie Galligan.
Tanner explained that there was a link between rugby and Alan Day’s community work.
He said: “In the community we want to be known as someone who will look after and care for it. I work with the Saracens Foundation and every Monday night I coach children with Down Syndrome, Autism, and ADHD. That is not far from here, in Mill Hill.
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“That is linked to the community and our customers can see that we are not just about selling cars, we are invested in what goes on around us. We do it because we want to do it. Community is very important to us.”
