10:23 am, June 29, 2023
Lookers is to plough more than £3m into transforming its Nissan dealership in Newcastle after plans were given the green light by the city council.
Due to open next spring, the state-of-the-art Portland Road development will see the existing site replaced with a new showroom, spacious workshops plus a dedicated handover bay, more parking and extra EV charging points.
It’ll also boast a meet-and-greet space, sales and aftersales areas, office space plus a luxurious customer lounge, while staff will have a dedicated canteen.
Earlier this year, Car Dealer Top 100 firm Lookers announced it was spending £1m on renovating its Nissan dealership in Gateshead, following similar transformations in Chester and Carlisle in 2022.
The Newcastle dealership will stay open during the £3.25m build, with all services still available on site.
The new showroom will have room for seven Nissan models, including the Ariya and British-built Qashqai.
The single-storey dealership will be similar in size to the existing showroom at 2,578 sq metres on a site of 5,446 sq metres and will have 65 staff – including three new hires.
Lookers franchise director Steve Eley said: ‘Backed by fresh investment, cutting-edge design and a focus on sustainability in an all-electric driving future, our new Nissan dealership at Portland Road will deliver world-class facilities for customers and staff.
‘It will also act as a standout showcase for this leading brand’s growing portfolio of award-winning cars and approved used vehicles.’
Externally, the plans also include car demonstration areas as well as a used vehicle display area.
Duncan McPhee, Lookers group chief operations officer, said: ‘We’re delighted to further invest in our long-standing and successful partnership with Nissan and provide our customers with best-in-class customer facilities which befit this future-focused and hugely popular brand.
‘Lookers has represented Nissan at Portland Road for more than 15 years and we’re excited to embark on a new investment journey signalling growth and additional jobs in a real vote of confidence in the local community and wider region.’
Pictured at top is a computer-generated image of how the new showroom will look
