London-based Toyota dealer Hills of Woodford has become one of the UK's first to adopt the Japanese brand's latest corporate identity.
In one of the biggest projects ever undertaken at the dealership, the whole showroom has been completely revamped from the floors to the ceiling, adopting the Toyota Retail Concept 25 to enable the property to full show off the Toyota range of new cars while putting an interactive customer hub at its centre.
The dealership is one of few Toyota franchisees so far to opt to install a handover room, and it will offer buyers a choice of an extended handover or an express handover, depending on their preference.
The refurbishment also puts all customer-facing staff, from sales and aftersales, in one area and in time some team members will become 'customer consultants' able to assist visitors with any of their enquiries.
Hills expects to still need specialists for each department, however.
Hills of Woodford sales and marketing director Nahide Crisp told AM: "Our showroom looks so much bigger due to the utilisation of space. We have removed several offices and we now have two glass offices at one end, so the rest of the showroom can fully show off our range and services we offer."
She added that in the handover room the lighting and music experience can be tailored to the customer. "We cannot wait for all of our customers to experience this," added Crisp, who marks her 25th year retailing Toyotas this year.
"Although we visited some other centres and head office in Burnaston to see what it would be life we did not expect it to look as good as it does."
A variety of interactive digital touch points provide customers with a personalised in-store experience enabling them to explore different facets of the brand and its range of products and mobility solutions.
When Toyota RC25 was revealed by Toyota Motor Europe in 2022 Didier Gambart, vice president of sales, marketing and customer experience, said: "Our new showroom concept marks an important step in our ambition to become the most electrified mobility brand of choice for our customers. The new retail design switches on both a new brand experience and a new way of working for our retailers.
"We are placing all our products and services under one roof with retailers at the heart of the new customer experience. In this space, customers can complement their digital journey with a memorable in-store experience with our retailers providing the essential human touch."
In 2022 Hills of Woodford was recognised for 50 years representing Toyota.
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An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
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