Warm response to new £12m Hatfields car showroom

The Jaguar and Land Rover facility for Hatfields opened on a 6.5 acre site at Thieves Lane, near Shrewsbury Business Park, last month.

The facility, which could eventually employ more than 100 people, features 53,819 square feet of indoor space, including 19 display spaces.

Managing director, Gareth Williams, said: "The customer response to the new dealership has been fantastic.

"You can see that sense of awe and delight as everyone arrives. It’s the same for the staff to be honest though.

"Everyone is coming to work with a spring in their step and a smile on their face. It has turned out to be the perfect antidote to the last three months.

"Everyone back to work and customers able to enjoy a first class retail environment. We are glad to be back!"

The firm has relocated from its former site on the corner of Old Potts Way and Brassey Road, which has been bought by bathroom and kitchen supplier Farr & Harris for about £1.5 million.

After a 10-week wait, car dealers across the region finally reopened their doors again to the public last month after working incredibly hard to ensure their showrooms are Covid-19 secure.

Now bosses are hoping for a surge in business after sales of new cars in the UK fell by more than 97 per cent in May as the coronavirus crisis shut showrooms and manufacturers closed factories.

Mr Williams added: "We appreciate the industry is facing challenging times and expect in the short term the market to be down as many people are finding it economically difficult.

"But we haven't just built this facility for 2020, we have built it with the future in mind.

"We had a loyal customer base before and hopefully with this new facility we will be able to attract customers.

"The whole industry lobbied the Government to get it open again and all manufactures agreed a universal code to apply.

"We have introduced a distancing of desks, one-way systems, hand sanitisations and masks for those who want them."