Fowler Nissan breaks ground for new dealership

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This article was published 24/09/2024 (556 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Site work is underway for Fowler Nissan’s new dealership at 3800 Victoria Ave., with plans to offer an upgraded customer experience and accommodate the brand’s anticipated growth.

Construction, started two months ago, is expected to be completed by late 2025, marking a significant milestone for the fourth-generation family business, which started selling Chevrolets in Maryfield, Sask., in 1922.

Dealership principal Rob Fowler told the Sun the facility under construction will be approximately 4,000 square feet larger than the current facility at 3620 Victoria Ave., acquired from Birchwood Nissan when the dealership was bought in early 2020.

“There’ll be a lot of modern amenities that will come along with the new dealership and one of them is a big service drive where customers will be able to drive their vehicle in when they arrive for service, which in Manitoba is an obvious advantage, particularly during the winter,” Fowler said.

“We’ll also have a much larger showroom with more vehicles on display, a bigger service shop for repairing the vehicles, and something that will be a significant improvement for us will be the size of our lot to display the vehicles. There’ll be one main showroom, which will hold up to six cars at a time, and then there’ll be a secondary showroom as well.”

The dealership’s expansion will support the growing popularity of electric vehicles in the automotive industry, as the facility will be equipped with proper chargers and tools to service EVs, including Nissan’s current lineup of the economical Leaf and luxury Ariya, he said.

“The business continues to evolve, whether it’s in the current generation or as you’re transitioning from one generation to the next, and that’s something that’s been constant in our business,” Fowler said.

“This is another example of us preparing for the future, with the ability to provide not only an improved customer experience but also to prepare for the evolution that we’re currently experiencing in the industry and what is going to happen in the industry five or 10 years down the road.”

General manager Lee Pearson said the project is exciting for both staff and customers.

“We’ve managed to take on a loyal group of Nissan employees, and knowing that we’re going to be able to give them a facility that will make their work life more pleasant and enjoyable is exciting,” Pearson said. “For customers, it’s going to be a bit of shock and awe when they come to the new facility, which will be on par with every other newer facility around here.”

The new dealership will be situated alongside the Hyundai dealership, also owned by the Fowler family, at 3900 Victoria Ave. The shared approach to the two facilities will offer customers a seamless experience, whether they are interested in Hyundai or Nissan vehicles, Fowler said.

As for the future of the current building, Fowler indicated that the plans are not yet finalized.

“We’ll cross that bridge in early 2026,” he said.

Except for a brief period in the 1930s, Fowler said, his family has been in the car business continuously, with only three years when they did not operate a dealership.

The current Hyundai dealership location, he said, was originally a general store they moved into in 1986, before converting it into a Hyundai dealership in October 2009.

The family acquired their Fowler Nissan business, taking over day-to-day operations on Jan. 2, 2020, from Birchwood Automotive Group, a Winnipeg-based auto dealer.

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