JessePS
12-08-06, 11:57 AM
"SHARON - The small town of Sharon will soon become home to the largest auto dealership in New England. Somerville-based Herb Chambers Cos. is shooting for a May opening for his $30 million, 110,000-square-foot Lexus dealership currently under construction on 14 acres off Route 1 in Sharon.
His current Lexus site in Norwood, a much smaller property, will be sold to the owners of Walpole Mall.
‘‘Right now we’ve got parking problems,’’ Chambers said of the current location. ‘‘When we opened that dealership 13 years ago, we used to sell maybe 30 to 40 Lexuses a month, and now they’re doing anywhere from 250 to 300.’’
Chambers hopes to double that sales figure by next December, and will double his staff as well, likely creating 100 jobs in both the sales and service departments.
The new dealership may resemble the center of a small town rather than a traditional car dealership. Chambers has plans for a cappuccino bar and a facility where golfers can play simulated holes with their own clubs.
‘‘It won’t be the best in the world forever, but it will probably be the best automotive dealership in the world for six months to a year,’’ Chambers said. ‘‘Just the sheer size of the place, at 110,000 square feet, there is no auto dealership in New England that compares to that. I don’t think there is another dealership on the East Coast that even comes close.’’
With the average car dealership measuring 30,000 to 40,000 square feet, the Sharon dealership will dwarf all comers for the foreseeable future. He also has plans for a 70,000-square-foot BMW dealership.
How can Chambers - owner of 30 dealerships - -afford such a place? That comes down to the strength of the Lexus brand. The average Lexus dealership makes $7 million a year in sales, said Ernie Boch Jr., one of Chambers’ top competitors.
Boch is also building a dealership, this one for Ferraris and Maseratis, but it’s far smaller than Lexus of Sharon. Slated to open in August on Route 1 in Norwood, Boch says the new facility will have a backlog of orders from the start.
‘‘The U.S. gets 1,500 Ferraris for the year,’’ Boch said. ‘‘There are about 8,000 people who want to buy them. The waiting list is about four-years long.’’" (Courtesy of The Patriot Ledger)
His current Lexus site in Norwood, a much smaller property, will be sold to the owners of Walpole Mall.
‘‘Right now we’ve got parking problems,’’ Chambers said of the current location. ‘‘When we opened that dealership 13 years ago, we used to sell maybe 30 to 40 Lexuses a month, and now they’re doing anywhere from 250 to 300.’’
Chambers hopes to double that sales figure by next December, and will double his staff as well, likely creating 100 jobs in both the sales and service departments.
The new dealership may resemble the center of a small town rather than a traditional car dealership. Chambers has plans for a cappuccino bar and a facility where golfers can play simulated holes with their own clubs.
‘‘It won’t be the best in the world forever, but it will probably be the best automotive dealership in the world for six months to a year,’’ Chambers said. ‘‘Just the sheer size of the place, at 110,000 square feet, there is no auto dealership in New England that compares to that. I don’t think there is another dealership on the East Coast that even comes close.’’
With the average car dealership measuring 30,000 to 40,000 square feet, the Sharon dealership will dwarf all comers for the foreseeable future. He also has plans for a 70,000-square-foot BMW dealership.
How can Chambers - owner of 30 dealerships - -afford such a place? That comes down to the strength of the Lexus brand. The average Lexus dealership makes $7 million a year in sales, said Ernie Boch Jr., one of Chambers’ top competitors.
Boch is also building a dealership, this one for Ferraris and Maseratis, but it’s far smaller than Lexus of Sharon. Slated to open in August on Route 1 in Norwood, Boch says the new facility will have a backlog of orders from the start.
‘‘The U.S. gets 1,500 Ferraris for the year,’’ Boch said. ‘‘There are about 8,000 people who want to buy them. The waiting list is about four-years long.’’" (Courtesy of The Patriot Ledger)