If a pandemic and stock issues aren’t enough of a challenge, why not add a building project/dealership revamp/moving of facilities and getting a second dealership to full independent dealership status to a DP’s list of tasks.
Someone with a level head and a vision is required for this job, and in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, that man is Kia’s Robbie Nienaber. Robbie moved to the fair Cape in 2019. Before that, he was the Principal Dealer at various Hyundai dealerships in Johannesburg.
Today Robbie is the Dealer Principal at Kia Tygervalley, and he also oversees the Kia Brackenfell dealership until the end of October. In addition, he is also in charge of the Regional Kia Parts Distribution Centre (separate business) for the Western Cape, based in Stikland.
“We are busy restructuring our operations with the sole aim of benefiting our clients through a streamlined and efficient dealer environment. Kia Tygervalley became a standalone dealership on the 1st of July 2021, after the multi-franchise model we had, which included Renault, was unbundled.
“Renault now reports to the Nissan Tygervalley Dealership, within the Motus Group. Kia Tygervalley now operates under the banner of the Kia Retail Operations (KRO).
“Our After-sales Department (Service and Parts) was located in Stikland, approximately 6 kilometres away from the dealership. Together with the strategy to establish a standalone Kia franchise, this strategy also includes having a 3S facility, which means having both a Sales and After-sales Services on the same premises.
“This has now been made possible through acquiring and investing into a separate facility on the 1st floor of our existing showroom, and on the 1st of October 2021, we opened this facility to our customers. Our clients will now visit our dealership and have access to the New Kia sales floor, our Kia Konfidence Pre-owned sales floor, our Service & Parts Department, and together with all of this, the facility will serve as the distribution centre of parts to all Kia dealerships in the Western Cape,” Robbie says.
“For our customers at Tygervalley, this means a one-stop shop from October in a more comfortable space than at the Stikland facility, which was located in an industrial area. It is important for growing the business that service customers and customers buying parts also have access to our Sales Floors. We also used this opportunity to give the existing facilities a facelift,” he tells Dealerfloor.
Robbie says he is overseeing activities at Kia Brackenfell with the dealership being upgraded to a 3S dealership, which will create another point for our clients to experience this full service offering, as well as create more job opportunities.
“To help facilitate all these processes is challenging, but fortunately during all this, we maintained and expanded our sales during the last three months. Not only have the new models recently launched by Kia contributed to this growth, but also the dedicated focus on the brand and these improvements, which consolidated the facilities.”
Robbie says he is excited to have the different projects finalised soon, and he is looking forward to its opening. “We have an excellent team, and with the focus on world-class customer services, I am looking forward to the future,” Robbie says.
Toyota has added the Corolla Cross GR-S to its local line-up, a version that introduces sport-focused styling and adjustments to the driving experience. The Corolla Cross GR-S takes the established strengths of the Corolla Cross and adds styling, interior details, and suspension changes that set it apart from the rest of the line-up.
Citroën has expanded its South African line-up with the launch of the Basalt, a new SUV-coupé that blends bold styling, everyday practicality, and comfort-focused technology. Positioned as part of the brand’s C-Cubed programme, the Basalt joins the C3 and Aircross, offering a distinctive fastback silhouette and a package tailored to local driving conditions.
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