10:08 am, June 30, 2023
A dealership in Scotland is to open a used car showroom aimed at younger drivers who it says are being priced out of the market.
Dicksons of Inverness is spending some £1m on its Carzar venture, which is poised to welcome under-35s from September 1 at the showroom opposite its Carsegate Road multi-franchise site, reported the Press & Journal.
Ten more jobs will be created as Dicksons – which holds the franchises for MG, Nissan, Suzuki and Kia as well as selling used cars – looks to tap into the 20-to-35-year-old market.
A new app is also being developed in tandem with Carzar that will let customers choose a car as well as check if they can get credit.
It should be ready by next year and, says Dicksons, will help avoid the possible embarrassment factor of having a credit application rejected in a showroom.
MD Fraser Bryce, who is spearheading the Carzar initiative, was quoted as saying: ‘Young people have, to an extent, been left behind by rising vehicle prices.
‘We thought we should create an opportunity for them to buy a quality car from a reputable dealer and arrange finance at their leisure.
‘Or they can come in and browse some of the top-quality vehicles we will have in the showroom.’
Sharif Sheen has been named as Carzar’s brand manager, joining Dicksons from Autobase Citroen in Walsall, where he was general manager for more than seven years.
Sheen said on his LinkedIn page: ‘Proud as punch to be starting the next chapter of my career at Dicksons of Inverness.
‘A huge move from the West Midlands all the way up to the Highlands but what an amazing opportunity to work and live in such an amazing part of the world! It already feels like home.’
Pictured at top, courtesy of Dicksons of Inverness, is a computer-generated image of what the Carzar showroom will look like
