CarShop prioritises the community in its plans to open friendly car retail hub at formerly vacant site in Derby

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 18 June 2021

The UK’s leading used car retailer, CarShop, has chosen to make a multi-million-pound investment in Derby as the location of its latest store with hopes to create a welcoming retail hub for car buying individuals, couples and families in the area, all while supporting a variety of great community initiatives and partnering with a local charity.

 

The retailer is anticipating that this new store will become the go-to destination in Derby for those looking for a friendly, fast and faff-free used car buying experience.

“We don’t ask our customers to only shop with us online, over the phone or in-store, like other retailers do”, said CarShop’s CEO Nigel Hurley. “We provide it all, so they can choose which option they feel most comfortable with. What matters to us is that they have a positive experience and come away with a smile on their face, knowing that they have a car that’s right for them, at the very best price, and can change their mind if – within 14 days – they decide it’s not a completely perfect fit.”

Should planning permission be granted, the over 27,000 sq. ft site, which sits off Osmaston Road, would feature an impressive forecourt holding over 600 of the retailer’s range of makes and models, a large store with a friendly customer area where car buyers could sit down with a colleague to discuss the best options for them, a modern indoor showroom and one of CarShop’s unique drive-in service centres which provides visitors with a convenient and quick way to MOT, service and repair their car. It will also have a canopy for validation and handover, that can hold another 26 cars.

Previously, this site held a Showcase cinema and Pizza Hut restaurant which was, unfortunately, forced to close last year due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and has sat empty since.

When discussing this, Nigel Hurley said:

“We know that the Showcase cinema held a special place in lots of local residents’ hearts – it’s where a lot of memories were made – which is why we tried our very hardest to work with the existing building structure and keep some of its traditional features. However, our architectural provider said it just wasn’t possible due to the layout of the cinema and restaurant, and the layout of the potential store, being just too different.

“What we promise to do instead, in opening CarShop Derby, is boost the local economy through new investment in the area, revive the site so that it continues to provide a useful purpose for Derbyshire residents, and use its presence to help further the missions of local initiatives and charities doing great work, day in, day out.”

The opening of the store would also create 50 jobs for people in the local community, with roles ranging from mechanics and MOT technicians, to customer service advisors and weekend sales colleagues, and all levels of experience would be welcome due to CarShop’s in-house training and mentoring schemes.

CarShop also prides itself on its stores’ community connections, and this is something that it promises to bring to the new Derby location. This includes supporting people in the local community and getting behind positive initiatives like volunteering to help disadvantaged groups or sponsoring events that create more opportunities for the area’s younger generation – just like potential neighbouring store, CarShop Nottingham, has recently done with this year’s Young Creative Awards.

Every CarShop store also pledges its support to national charity, Global Make Some Noise, as well as a grassroots charity that is based in the area and chosen by the store’s colleagues.

As well as many other things, this support involves every customer being given a ‘pink coin’ with their purchase which they can choose to donate to either the national or local charity, with that money being donated at the end of each month and put towards anything which the organisation thinks would be useful in furthering its cause. Through this, a grand total of almost £300,000 has been raised by CarShop stores for good causes nationwide since 2016.

As soon as the planning permission for the store in Foresters Park is granted by the local authority, the new team in Derby will set about researching local charities and is also keen to hear any suggestions from community members around this.

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