Mercedes-Benz have opened their $100m state of the art flagship dealership in Brisbane, giving consumers a look into the future of automotive retail.

The nine-story precinct at Breakfast Creek is set to revolutionise glamourous automotive shopping, with LSH auto group, the owners of the dealership, describing it as a “luxury lifestyle precinct”.

At 32,000 square metres, the site is the largest Mercedes-Benz retail operations in the Southern Hemisphere. It comes complete with showrooms for S-Class vehicles and AMG, a two-level service workshop with 45 bays and a reception and a sales floor.

That’s not all. The complex also hosts a historic vehicle display, numerous food and beverage outlets, a cooking school and room for other health and wellbeing businesses and practitioners.

The introduction of the nine-story building to the Brisbane landscape suggests that LSH Auto Group has great confidence in the Australian market now and into the future, with LSH Auto Australia Managing Director, John Good, insisting that they are here for the long haul.

“We have a lot of confidence in the market here in Australia and obviously that confidence extends into the market here in Brisbane,” said Good.

“The concept of the operation here is to really develop, not only a premium automotive dealership, but very much a lifestyle and very much a destination precinct.

“It’s obviously a very large investment for the group here in Australia. But most importantly, LSH is a long term investor – so we’re looking strategically for a very long-term investment in whatever we are doing.”

This isn’t the first time Mercedes-Benz has made waves arriving on our shores. In 2017, the brand introduced a MercedesMe store in Melbourne, which gave customers a unique Mercedes experience in conjunction with St. ALi restaurant.

It’s all part of the experience LSH Group is trying to create for potential customers says Good.

“It really gives consumers the opportunity to really experience the holistic approach, not only to the Mercedes-Benz brand, but also to LSH as well.

“It’s certainly about more than selling cars- creating a destination, creating a lifestyle precinct. Our overall investment and our overall strategy is to really create a unique destination, here in Brisbane.

“So very much a customer can come in, have their car serviced, but also at the same time they are able to enjoy a five-star premium dining experience; a health and lifestyle experience; to be able to really enjoy the whole ambiance of the centre up here,” said Good.

The dealership has been created with the increasingly popular opinion that brand experience is becoming a bigger deciding factor for car buyers.

“Australians certainly have a love affair with cars. What is important is to be able to create, the experience along with that love affair, and then offer the consumers a unique experience. So that’s something we can do, not only as a destination brand with Mercedes-Benz, but also very much by creating a unique experience via such wonderful facilities we have here at MBB,” said Good.

“Experience is very important and that will certainly create a separation between the brands and obviously will create separation between also the retailers in the market as well.”

Construction of stage 2 of the precinct, including the dining and beverage venues, will continue into 2020.

Original source: Carsales | Destination gives glimpse of dealership future

21 Aug 2019