Despite the current economic conditions, several St. Louis-area dealerships have chosen to build new facilities, and in some cases in new locations, in a bid to increase their market share. Although many have made moves over the last two years, Parts & People met with three dealerships to get their perspectives.
Autohaus BMW
Rusty Yost, parts manager for Autohaus BMW, has a positive outlook only a few months after moving into the new facility located at 3015 S. Hanley in St. Louis. The previous location is now solely occupied by sister store Mini of St. Louis at 125 S. Hunter in Clayton, which has more room for service and parts, he added.
"We had our best month ever last month," Yost said, adding that space was tight in the old location and that the store wouldn't have been able to sell the volume of parts that it does now.
The new parts department has four times more warehouse space than the previous location, allowing greater breadth and depth of inventory, Yost said.
"We have increased inventory dramatically, but we are still trying to figure out what parts we need to stock," he said. The store is trying to focus on the mechanical parts needed to keep the technicians working in the service department, he added.
The service department has 30 bays with 15 techs, allowing them to work on two vehicles at once if needed to accommodate the increasing amount of reflashing required for BMW repairs, said Service Manager Victor Richards.
"Many of the new vehicles need a lot of computer reprogramming once a part is replaced," Richards said. "Therefore, a technician can be reprogramming one car's computer while he is replacing parts on another vehicle."
The air-conditioned shop features a computer terminal in each bay, Challenger in-ground cassette lifts, a Hunter Road Force Measurement System balancer, a Hunter alignment system, and a Corgi Artiglio tire-Changer to handle low-profile tires.
The service department floor has German Klinker tile flooring, a requirement for BMW service departments, Richards said. It is also outfitted with a detail area with a fully automatic enclosed car wash, he added.
Lou Fusz Dodge Chrysler Jeep
Mid-September marks the first year since Lou Fusz Dodge Chrysler Jeep moved to its new facility on Highway K in O'Fallon. Coinciding with the move from Manchester Road in Kirkwood was the addition of the Chrysler and Jeep nameplates to fulfill Chrysler LLC's Alpha store initiative, said Parts Manager Tom Welz, adding that it's also taken on the Sprinter trucks, parts, and service.
"Our old facility was outdated and wasn't equipped to be a modern dealership," Welz said. St. Charles County is a prime spot, and Chrysler started the ball rolling with its Alpha project and offered Lou Fusz the new location, he said.
The modern, two-level parts department controls about 21,000 SKUs and holds the same amount of parts that took several buildings to hold at the old location, Welz said. It features a freight elevator and high-density drawers purchased from Industrial Shelving in St. Louis for parts storage, he said.
Wholesale parts delivery times were not affected by the move due to the large network of trucks for Lou Fusz dealerships, Welz said.
The service department has 18 bays, including a quick-lube area, said Service Manager Jeff Edwards. "The quick-lube is a big plus because it helps bring in new customers."
Lou Fusz employs 13 technicians and three service advisers, more than at the old location, Welz said. "We were very happy that we didn't lose any parts or service department employees when we moved," he said.
One product of the move, Edwards said, is the addition of the Sprinter truck program. "It was a big feather in our cap," he said, "Many dealers don't have the ability to support it."
Edwards added that the department now has the ability to service and supply parts for commercial vehicles.
Frank Leta Honda
Frank Leta Honda followed Honda's plan for its dealerships remodel, moving from St. Charles Rock Road to 500 Auto Mall Drive in O'Fallon, said Parts Manager Georgia Brasher.
"We wanted to follow the population growth and move to the new population center," Brahser said of the new location, adding that the store adopted Honda's modern dealer design.
The state of the art parts department has an elevator along with three levels and a mezzanine, Brasher said.
Frank Leta kept most of its customers after the move, she said, and is experiencing a surge in wholesale parts sales, which she attributes to the new location's expanded storage space.
Service Manager Rob Orr said the new facility has 24 service bays along with three express bays with 12 technicians working in three shifts.
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