With a new building, almost doubling of staff and increased sales, Comox Valley Nissan is running on all cylinders.
Chris Kane-White, dealer principal, said since their move to their new location on Silverdale Crescent in March, staff has increased from 14 to 24 employees, and with additional space and inventory, sales have been record-setting.
"There is so much promise and opportunity in the Valley," he said. "We're very excited about it."
Aiming to increase their market share to 10 per cent, Kane-White said Nissan Canada has chosen the dealership to be one of only 25 in Canada to showcase Nissan's fully electric vehicle, the Leaf, which will available to the public this fall.
Jim Revenberg, general manager, added that since the move, the dealership has added three mechanics, a new service writer and has invested in state-of-the-art equipment, all despite a slow economic recovery in the country.
"Our philosophy is that people still need to drive, and we just want to show you what we have and give us a chance to earn your business," he noted.
Kane-White notes with the physical dealership size doubling, not only is there more room for customers, more room for increased inventory, but also more room to have fun.
"Our goal is to make this the best place to buy and service your vehicle," he said, adding that one of his goals is to ensure a sense of family between employees and customers, offering barbecues every Friday, and car washes for customers.
The new location has so far proven successful, said Kane-White, as sales for the month of June was the best month ever for the dealership, selling 40 new vehicles — the most of any other import dealership on the North Island.
He noted there will soon be a large product overall, which is part of a bigger company plan to capture a larger market share.
For servicing vehicles, mechanic Wayne Fitzgerald said the new location has six service bays and gives employees more room to work on cars along with more fresh air. He is looking forward to a new alignment machine, which will be the first of its kind on the Island.
Revenberg adds the service area has been so busy the company is thinking of adding an additional mechanic to its team.
For more information about Comox Valley Nissan, visit www.comoxvalleynissan.com, or call 250-338-1988.
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