Holden roars – new $2 million Leongatha showroom works underway

LEONGATHA’s growth is speeding up with the second major development announcement in two weeks.

Holden will roar back into Leongatha with a fully fledged Holden dealership ready by mid-September.

The news comes on top of last week’s announcement Aldi supermarket will be in Leongatha before the year’s end.

Managing Director of Colin Watson Holden in Traralgon, John Johnson, said the new Holden facility will “set a new benchmark” for Leongatha.

Mr Johnson confirmed with The Star it is likely the new dealership will be simply called Leongatha Holden. He also said the new facility, in Koonwarra Road, will be up and running mid-September providing there are no unexpected disruptions.

Leongatha identity Russell Hemming has been appointed as general manager of Holden in Leongatha. He has been with the company for a number of years as a sales manager.

Whilst Colin Watson Holden has been running a “service centre” in Leongatha’s Industrial Estate for some years, the confirmation a full dealership is about to appear is a huge boost in the confidence of the town.

Employment opportunities will flow with the new dealership requiring more sales, administration staff and technicians meaning a boost to jobs.

“I can’t confirm how many jobs will be created exactly but we will certainly be requiring more staff,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson said the new building won’t cut any corners and will set the bar for car showrooms in Leongatha at a new level.

There will be two showrooms, a customer area including a cafe, a workshop plus room to allow for future expansion.

Both new Holdens and used cars will be sold from the site.

A Holden facility has been planned at the site for some time and Mr Johnson confirmed the economic climate was a factor in why the project was delayed. The final permits came through a few weeks ago confirming the project could start with BFN Neilson Developments based in Traralgon as the builders.

“It is now full steam ahead and we are very excited for Leongatha and surrounding areas,” he said.

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Posted by Jacob De Kunder on Apr 30 2013. Filed under Business, Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry