A positive outlook on business and a solid performance so far will determine the future and new plans for the three independent dealerships under the Brits Auto banner in this North-West town.
Share with friends
The dealerships, which belong to Pieter van der Merwe and Lohan Otto, include Nissan, Ford and the latest acquisition, the GWM/Haval brands. Both of them are involved in the day-to-day running of the dealerships.
Pieter is a veteran of the motor industry with 39 years’ experience. He was a Vice-President of Nissan South-Africa from 2002 to 2005. In 2009, he acquired the Nissan franchise for Brits.
A year later Lohan, whose family has been prominent in the Brits area for three generations, and Pieter became business partners. Lohan has more 20 years’ experience in the motor industry with 17 years as a Dealer Principal.
“We are grateful for a successful number of years with strong leadership from our two owners and dedicated dealer principals (DPs) at each of the three dealerships,” says Roadri de Beer, Marketing Assistant at Brits Auto.
“The Nissan and Ford dealerships are opposite each other with the GWM/Haval just a short distance away from them,” she tells Dealerfloor.
“At Nissan, Lize Lourens is at the helm of the dealership. She worked her way up from being a personal assistant, service advisor, sales executive, sales manager, service manager and now the DP at Nissan, where she took over the reins from Lohan. She has been with Brits Auto since 2011.
“At our Ford Dealership, we have the experienced Joe Coetzer in charge as DP with 33 years in the business under his belt. Johan du Plessis was recently appointed DP at GWM/Haval. He was manager at another business outlet of the group and has 15 years’ experience in the motor trade.”
“We have a well-established name and reputation in Brits and the surroundings areas, but we also do a lot of business across the country. A number of our sales staff have built up such a solid reputation with customers over the years that we have repeat business from them coming our way from all the corners of the country,” Roadri tells Dealerfloor.
When asked about business conditions in Brits, she says no dealership could avoid the same fate with tougher business conditions owing to limited stock. “It is, however, how you manage the new circumstances that decides the outcome.
“We have been blessed, and although we had challenges on the bakkie side, we were able to secure stock by swopping vehicles with other dealers. Our region is a bakkie-world, with large agriculture communities and mining operations, and we have some big fleets in the security, passenger transport industry and the providers of ambulance services, which form part of our customer base,” she says.
“On the GWM/Haval side, we have only been operational since September, and the demand exceeds our expectations, with especially the Haval Jolion proving to be very popular,” Roadri says.
She reckons good interaction between the three dealerships means they can accommodate demands across a broad spectrum from potential customers.
And what does the future hold for the three dealerships in the Brits?
“We are optimistic that business conditions will improve, and we will expand in the future and continue to serve our community’s motoring needs, whatever they may be,” she concludes.
Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant in Nelson Mandela Bay has played an instrumental role in the success of the locally assembled Ford Ranger – both in South Africa and in the more than 100 markets it is exported to around the world.
The latest Hino 700 launched in South Africa, is already carving a niche for itself in the local market. One of the operations where the latest Hino is shining is in transporting cattle in Namibia.
China updated its national standard on child safety restraints in vehicles, including laws regarding car seats. Both in China and globally, car crashes are a leading cause of death for those between five and 29 years of age. Safety restraints can reduce deaths among infants by up to 71%.
A star is born, and he is in the Foton stable of CMH’s Randburg dealership. His name is Wayne Bull, big in stature, soft spoken with a passion for customers and his product.
Serious damage was caused to Westvaal Motor Group’s Isuzu and Suzuki dealership in Welkom when a tornado hit the town this past Sunday shortly after midday. The estimated damage to the dealership could exceed a million rand.
Supergroup Dealerships announced the upcoming launch of four new MG dealerships as part of its growing portfolio. The new locations that are set to open soon, include three on the East Rand, one in Rustenburg and one in Paarl, Western Cape.