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Musical chairs for car dealers

A MUSICAL chairs set of changes among Cork city’s motor dealers is continuing — with a temporary new base for Toyota found in Wilton, while a longer-term site is being sought.

The valuable Cork city franchise for Toyota — currently the No 1 car seller in Ireland for the second year running — has just changed hands to the Lehane family — who’ve been selling Toyotas in Macroom since 1975.

The second generation Lehane family business is opening up within weeks on the high-profile Wilton Motors site, opposite the CUH, on a two-year lease, in a deal negotiated with Wilton landlord Douglas Johnson via Peter O’Meara of Savills.

But — calling all property and site owners — the new Toyota dealership aims to adapt a larger, existing premises elsewhere, or to build on a greenfield site around the city centre in the mid to longer term.

Macroom Motors was started by Donal Lehane in the 1970s when Toyota was new to these shores: by now, the company has sold 25,000 cars, new and second-hand, reckons company MD, John Lehane, with sales topping 1,000 a year in 2000 and 2007.

He advertised for up to 20 jobs last Friday to take on the extra work, and that’s in addition to their 36 jobs based in Macroom. Given that the Wilton site’s quite tight for the expected volume of business, he expects a bit of interchange between the two garages which are 25 miles apart.

It’s understood that Toyota have reduced their number of Cork dealerships from six to five (they’ve also signed up Grandons in Toyota), and Kearys had operated three of the original six, at Kinsale Road, Mallow and Midleton.

Bill Keary took on a Renault franchise in a high-profile location last year at his Kinsale Road base, and now Kearys are also taking on the Hyundai dealership in Mallow and Kinsale Road. Hyundai had four dealers in the county. Kearys will continue to be authorised Toyota and Lexus service centres, said marketing manager Sean Cooney.

Other knock-on dealership changes are expected to follow among some of the Hyundai ‘disenfranchised.’ Among the sweeping changes by new Renault boss in Ireland Eric Basset was the opening of a Renault franchise in Limerick with Dennehy Motors, while Finbarr Galvins in Bandon, West Cork, replaced their long-held Renault link with a successful switch to Skoda.

Continuing the motor marque changes, VW have moved back to Turners Cross, Cork, with Blackwater Motors, having taken on the former purpose-built Mercedes showroom next to Woodies.

Back on the Toyota front, John Lehane said the high visibility of the former Wilton Motors premises will give the Macroom Motors family a good start in Cork city, while they’ll keep the Lexus brand in Macroom until they find a new base in Cork, either adapting an existing commercial or motor premises, or building from scratch on a greenfield site.

Meanwhile, a deal has been agreed on the former premises of a Renault dealership on Cork’s Douglas Road via Lisney, but the buyer’s identity hasn’t been disclosed. Likely to be bought for retail use, it’s considered too small to suit a discounter like Lidl or Aldi.

Details: Savills 021-4271371

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