Award winning Longford car dealership unveils brand new showroom
David Hanley: "There's 200 cars in the yard at all stages, we try to keep 200 in stock."
Christmas was certainly 'the most wonderful time of the year' for renowned independent car dealership Peter Hanley Motors in Terlicken, Ballymahon as they officially opened and unveiled their brand new showroom, offices and a waiting room.
There was a nice gathering of family, staff, and local people, including Cathaoirleach of Ballymahon Municipal District Cllr Martin Skelly, for the grand opening on December 19 last.
David Hanley of Peter Hanley Motors said it is 'business as usual' at the award-winning dealership, but it is now a warmer, and a more pleasant atmosphere both for the staff and the customers to come into'.
"The older place was kind of an industrial unit that was kind of a part workshop, part office and this is kind of a custom built for the job.
"It's more spacious, we have a couple of fresher cars on display and the main thing is it has a nice waiting area, coffee dock and nice kitchen canteen for the staff, there's eight or nine new offices in total in it and there is a children's play area for people who are waiting around with kids and stuff like that.
"It's probably something that you associate with a franchise dealer, with a main dealership but we are an independent so it's kind of, I suppose it's making it closer to what a franchise dealer would have but still we did it off our own back as an independent."
David said the official opening was a nice afternoon with family and staff members.
"We had the children, my kids and my nieces and the next generation of the family kind of cut the tape and there were no celebrities as such."
David said there is room for four cars in the showroom and the other advantage to it is that the old building at the front that had been there for 28 years has been removed.
"We now have a proper forecourt display at the front, the showroom has moved back into the middle of the yard, so it means that your whole forecourt is better presented now with that as well.
"So it kind of centralises the yard, or just gives you a better layout everywhere.
"There's 200 cars in the yard at all stages, we try to keep 200 in stock."
David said there have been lots of good luck messages and well-wishes to them from people both in-person and through social media with a strong local connection to the project.
"The majority of the materials and the labour was predominantly county Longford, a combination of Longford and Westmeath, so it was nice, it was all homegrown," he added.
Last February, Peter Hanley Motors was also celebrating after it was announced as Independent Sales Operation of the Year at the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) awards at Dublin’s Clayton Hotel.