Infiniti Opens First UK ‘Boutique’
To Reading and beyond... Nissan’s luxury brand outlet has 300-mile reach
The UK's first Infiniti dealership will open its doors this Saturday in Reading, offering a level of service the company claims will be unique, dished out from premises designed to feel like a luxury 'boutique hotel'.
Said Account Manager will arrange servicing with a free collection and delivery service planned within a 150-mile range of the Reading dealership, thus 'guaranteeing that owners will never feel far from an Infiniti Centre', the company says with admirable confidence. (Although for the moment that should read the Infiniti Centre, as the eight-strong network won't be completed until 2011.)
Thoughtfully, the latest company press release has included '10 things you didn't know' about the new operation, which we reproduce below in case they're right!
10 THINGS (They say!) YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT INFINITI CENTRES
1) The paintings hanging on the walls are all originals, all specially commissioned by Infiniti
2) Infiniti Centres are run with distribution partners, companies highly qualified in selling premium goods - the key to offering the highest levels of customer satisfaction
3) Wherever in the world they are, the design of all Infiniti Centres is laid down by IREDI - Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative
4) Infiniti Centres follow a lobby/lounge/gallery layout with the natural light and high ceilings of the lobby area emulating the feel of an exclusive boutique hotel
5) The high-definition screen technology on which customers can preview colour schemes and trim options was specially designed and manufactured in Europe for Infiniti
6) All the sofas and lounge chairs were designed by acclaimed designer Walter Knoll
8) The music on the CDs in cars available for test drives was specially chosen and recorded by Infiniti
9) Apart from the main handover when an owner first takes delivery of their new Infiniti, a second "handover" a month later is offered - just to make sure the owner is entirely at ease with their new car
10) The first European Infiniti Centre opened in Paris in October 2008 and now there are Centres in some of Europe's best addresses in Barcelona, Madrid, Sofia, Athens, Milan, Prague, Warsaw, Zurich, Tel Aviv and Geneva
I saw it the other day when I drove through reading. Nice looking garage, but its a bit poncey. As already stated - who gives a stuff about wall paintings being original? Perhaps if I were spending £150k on a Bentley, but not a re-badged Nissan!
We shall see.....
There's a story about Infiniti comng to the UK and apparently they wanted 5 dealerships in a ring within the M25 and thought they could do it for a couple of million. So they ended up with one - in Reading.
Why these big knotted tie types think that shiny expensive dealerships are what the customer wants is beyond me. That sort of guff barely works in London, let alone the real world.
Think I would prefer a few Pirelli calendars to original paintings on the wall !!
)Whilst I think that nobby paintings and specially recorded music is taking it a little far, we as a nation have much to learn about customer service. Audi and BMW are laughable to the point where you question who the customer is. VW isn't far behind so if these chaps can improve on that, i'm all for it. Nissan, Datsun or otherwise..
E.g Porsche, Chevrolet/Cadillac/Corvette and Ifiniti. If you're a new manufacturer you need to be in peoples faces not squirrelled away somewhere.
Posh nissan? yes.
Nissan customer service? no.
8 dealerships across the country, covering all your headaches by phone with a single contact to collect and deliver? compare that with all the other offerings today and to add a product that may..just may be on par with ze germans!
not a bad idea if they dont look for huge volume sales.
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