Volkswagen has announced that it will be opening a retail store in the Bullring shopping centre, Birmingham.

The store will open its doors on Friday, July 7 and will give shoppers the chance to browse in a shopping environment.

Johnsons Cars has run Johnsons Volkswagen retailers in Birmingham since 2004 and will be partnering in the project.

Volkswagen was inspired to move into this new area of retail as a result of "changing consumer behaviour", of which it believes convenience is at the heart of.

The Bullring store will have a variety of displays that highlight Volkswagen’s in-car technology. There will also be various models on display and the selection will be refreshed frequently in order to keep the new store up to date.

There will be a dedicated test drive area, a short walk away.

Motability sales, as well as Volkswagen’s vehicle accessories and official merchandise, will also feature in the new store.

Volkswagen’s director of passenger cars Alison Jones said: “The store allows us to try out new ways of bringing our cutting edge products and technologies to the public in their usual retail environment.

“The store is very much a long-term pilot that we will learn much from. It is all about presenting our cars and services to the public in a place that is really convenient for them, and it will sit alongside the wide network of Volkswagen retailers across the UK that represent the heart of our business.”

Johnsons Cars’ operating director Mike Berwick said: “This is a completely new retail format and way of going to the market, and so it is exciting for us to work with Volkswagen on this project. This store will complement our existing five Volkswagen retail locations and the combination will allow us to expand our customer service offers both in sales and aftersales.”

“We have set a very competitive ‘no haggle’ pricing model. This will remove the stress experienced by some from the typical showroom visit and will allow us to speed up the enquiry and sales process, therefore delivering a better experience for shoppers.”

Johnsons Volkswagen Bullring Birmingham will be open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.