10:17 am, November 14, 2022
Dealer group Dick Lovett has officially opened its new flagship BMW and Mini dealership in Melksham.
The grand opening took place last Thursday (November 10) with more than 500 guests invited to the new multi-million-pound premises.
Among them was the mayor of Melksham, Simon Crundell, and local Tory MP, Michelle Donelan.
The dealership, located opposite Dick Lovett’s pre-existing Jaguar Land Rover site, has brought in more than 100 new jobs to the area.
Donelan, who is also secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: ‘I think it’s absolutely fantastic to bring in local jobs into the area. It’s just one of the examples of companies in Melksham which are recruiting.
‘We have had some disappointing news recently from Cooper Tires but this just shows the vast range of opportunities on offer. There are lots of different jobs involved here, it’s not just salespeople.’
As well as the new showroom, a 27-bay workshop has also been constructed as part of the project to bring BMW and Mini under the same roof.
The site replaces the group’s old BMW dealership in Lower Bristol Road, Bath, which shut for good on October 7, according to the Wiltshire Times.
Crundell added: ‘It was a real privilege to be invited to the opening of the new Dick Lovett dealership in Melksham.
‘This investment demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in our town and will bring jobs and investment for a number of years to come.
‘This state-of-the-art dealership is the first of its kind in the UK and takes a new approach to how customers interact with the product and the business.’
The Bath BMW site has been bought by property developer Watkins Jones, which won a battle with residents to put up student accommodation and flats for rent.
