Jarvis Group unveils new $30m dealership
Jarvis Group has unveiled a new $30m flagship dealership at Gepps Cross, while adding a Chinese electric vehicle giant to its growing stable of brands.
One of the state’s largest automotive groups has unveiled a new $30m dealership, and introduced one of China’s biggest electric vehicle manufacturers into its stable, as part of a major investment into its network.
Jarvis Group’s new flagship showroom and workshop, across from its existing used car site in Gepps Cross, has become the new headquarters for the sale of new Ford and Subaru vehicles, with a service centre capable of servicing more than 80 cars a day.
Jarvis Group vice chairman Jamie Whiteway said the new Gepps Cross facility was the biggest investment made by the Jarvis Group in its 41-year history, following a similar investment in a new Toyota dealership at Somerton Park last year.
“It’s a world class dealership ... it’s definitely a landmark there now, with over 8400sq m of floor space across the 2 storeys on a 2.4 acre (1ha) site,” he said.
“We have been working on the plans for this site since 2016, and to be able to deliver on an ambitious design with such a grand scale, and with so many people and local businesses involved, makes everyone at Jarvis extremely proud.
“It’s a big investment in what we see as a continuously growing northern corridor of Adelaide, and to be able to do it with two great brands in Ford and Subaru, who have been some of our most successful for a long time, is important to us.”
The new showroom forms part of a wider consolidation and upgrade of Jarvis Group’s network, with a revamp of the company’s Trinity Gardens site under way ahead of a relocation of its Subaru showroom from Kensington, which will operate alongside a new offering from hybrid ute brand Foton. The group’s former Subaru and Peugeot site at Medindie was recently converted to a showroom for Chinese manufacturer Geely, which is making major inroads in Australia’s electric vehicle market.
Jarvis Group now has nine auto brands in its stable, including Ford, Subaru, Toyota, Skoda, Isuzu, Peugeot, Suzuki, Deepal and Geely, employing more than 300 staff.
“During the period of high inflation in the last number of years we have to ensure that we manage our costs and we’re as efficient as possible in order to keep a lid on prices, given we operate across all of metropolitan Adelaide and up to the Barossa as well,” Mr Whiteway said.
“We’ve looked at the sites where we can get those economies of scale, in order to be able to invest in the employment of more South Aussies.”
Mr Whiteway joined the business earlier this year in a newly created role to help manage a succession plan within the Collins family.
He said it was an exciting time to be joining the company, with the entry of new OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) into the Australian market and the growth of electric, hybrid and other technologies.
“We’re seeing a lot of demand in the Adelaide market for more choice with new fuel efficient technologies,” he said.
“The technology continues to innovate at a rapid pace, and the Chinese OEMs are focussing heavily on it.
“If you have a look at Geely, they’re one of the largest in China – we did a lot of due diligence on the various opportunities in the market, and we saw them as one of the leaders, and importantly one that will bring value and even more choice to our customers whilst at the same time complementing our longstanding OEM partners.”
After taking over the Jarvis business in 1984, Adelaide businessman Richard Collins grew it from a single showroom in Trinity Gardens to a network of eight dealerships, before his death late last week.
He died on Friday, aged 74.
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Originally published as Jarvis Group unveils new $30m dealership
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