12:34 pm, May 22, 2015
Paul Philpott, left, with Yuki Yoshimoto, the chairman of Norton Way Motors, James Cho, the chief executive co-ordinator of Kia, and David Granger, the MD of Norton Way
A NEW flagship dealership for Kia is to open on the Great West Road in Brentford in August.
Kia has confirmed the dealership will be operated by Norton Way Group and will trade as GWR Kia.
The highly-visible site is part of Kia’s plans to push the brand forward in the UK, and will see the dealership take centre stage on the M4 elevated section, one of Britain’s busiest commuter roads.
Paul Philpott, CEO and president at Kia, said: ‘We’re excited about the opening of this UK flagship dealership. This is a highly-prominent site, which sees over 27 million vehicles pass by each year. We feel this is the next step in raising the profile of Kia and look forward to the doors opening in August to new and existing Kia customers in west London.’
The 41,000 sq ft dealership is split into four floors including a multi-level showroom, increasing visibility to passing cars on the M4 elevated section. The top floor level will feature a stunning, entirely glass façade, angled towards the M4, which will showcase Kia’s vehicles to the 75,000 people who pass every day, on their way in and out of the capital.
The top floor space will also feature a 17 metres x four metres-high LED display screen.
Norton Way Group will operate the Great West Road Kia dealership, adding to their highly-successful dealerships in London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
David Grainger, managing director of Norton Way Motors Ltd, said: ‘We’re delighted to be adding the first flagship Kia dealership to our portfolio. We think the unique, original design of the dealership will attract customers in from far and wide, where they can then take advantage of Kia’s seven-year warranty and range of excellent deals.’
The Norton Way Group is an established dealer which has been operating in west London for more than 13 years and in Hertfordshire for more than 25 years. Kia will be the ninth dealership in the group.
The dealership will be kitted out with the latest technology available in the market place, with 3D headsets for waiting customers, an iPad customer experience area and NFC (near field communication) technology being placed around the building to support key marketing messages. One area that NFC will be used is within the café to send a signal and message to customers when their vehicle is ready after a service.
The ground floor will display the whole Kia range for customers to view and test drive. The café, with seating for more than 40 people, will also be open to the public. Used cars will be housed in a spacious first-floor showroom with space inside and out so customers can view the full range of stock.
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