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Volvo upgrades SA dealership experience

4 Aug 2016

Volvo Car South Africa announced the opening of the first fully-compliant Volvo Retail Experience (VRE) dealership in South Africa. The new Volvo Cars Bedfordview facility in Johannesburg reflects a from-the-ground-up, new look and feel for a Volvo Cars dealership in South Africa, as part of the global roll-out of VRE.

"The Volvo Retail Experience brings all Volvo dealerships across the globe together from a look, feel and experience point-of-view," comments Greg Maruszewski, managing director of Volvo Car South Africa. According to Maruszewski the idea is to transform dealerships from simply purchase points or services centres to a destination that people want to visit, whether it be for a coffee or a chat.

Design

The exterior design combines translucent glass panelling with blue Volvo insignia. Light plays a major role, alongside open space and freedom of movement. Vehicles on the floor are said to be positioned strategically to allow prospective buyers to view the entire Volvo product portfolio in the same room.

'Fika' has been incorporated as well - the daily Swedish act of taking some time out with good coffee and a pastry of some sort to enjoy the company of a friend, make a new one or simply just take a break from the fast-paced working world. As such, a fika area which features a coffee and food station is supported by a bistro-style bar, a lounge and a children's play zone.

The VRE extends to the servicing and parts departments as well, and the workshop environment is designed to be an attractive part of the building where light and clean surfaces uplift the environment.

Holistic upgrade

"Our new Bedfordview dealership is currently the VRE flagship, but all our other dealerships will be undergoing extensive VRE upgrades and will feature new-look interiors geared to providing an enjoyable and noteworthy retail experience for Volvo customers across South Africa," continues Maruszewski.

Bruce Allen, dealer principal at Volvo Cars Bedfordview, expands: "Having built the new dealership from scratch, we have been able to fully-embrace the Volvo Retail Experience to ensure that absolutely every part of the dealership meets the expectations set by Volvo Car Group in Sweden. And so, walking into a dealership in our home market results in the same ambience, furniture, sounds and feel as what we have created here in South Africa."