JCT600 completes £2m redevelopment of Mercedes-Benz dealership in Harrogate

JCT600 has completed a £2m redevelopment of a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Harrogate.

The family car retailer finished this project, which included a full internal refurbishment, less than two years after the dealership on Leeds Road.

Located near Pannal on one of the main gateways into the Spa town from Leeds, the site now comprises a modern, environmentally-friendly showroom with enhanced facilities for customers.

Having seen sales of new and used vehicles at the dealership grow by over 33% in the last two years, JCT600 needed to transform the existing outdated building and valeting bay into a sustainable, customer-centric showroom.

Work on the redevelopment started in April 2016 with the business remaining operational throughout the period.

The new showroom, incorporating the latest Mercedes-Benz branding and digital integration, opened in December.

JCT600 has now completed the external site improvements, which include planting 50 new trees and creating a 5m wide, landscaping strip on the boundary facing the Grade II-listed viaduct and the Crimple Valley Special Landscape Area.

The enlarged dealership now has capacity to showcase 55 pre-owned vehicles as well as an eight car showroom for new vehicles and a dedicated handover lounge with feature lighting and sound system.

In addition, a new standalone car valeting department has been created. There is now space for 12 car demonstrators and the total number of parking spaces has seen a significant increase to a total of 118.

Mark Taylor, property director of JCT600, said: “The Mercedes-Benz Harrogate dealership enjoys a great location, but with sales having grown massively since we took over the business, we needed to completely redesign the site in order to expand and enhance the facilities for our customers.

“Using Mercedes-Benz’s latest corporate styling, the showroom now has a ‘boutique hotel’ feel, with soft natural finishes and furnishings, including large fabric lamp shades.

“It also now features a full range of customer amenities such as an internet café, dedicated after sales lounge and a specially designed kids zone with iPads and game station. Interactive consultation pods are available for customers.

“Finally, in line with our pledge to being as environmentally-friendly as we can, the new showroom features low cost and sustainable energy initiatives including a ‘smart’ wireless energy management system and LED lighting.

“Overall, we’ve created a state-of-the-art dealership which we hope our customers and 44-strong team in Harrogate will enjoy and which gives us room for further expansion as the brand continues to grow.”