Thursday, October 15, 2009 1:19 PM
The Mazda superstore
Jeremy Cato
Denis Leclerc is one of those business types who just can't seem to sit still for long.
“Recession? I can't afford a recession; I have bills to pay,” says Leclerc, dealer principal of Albi le Geant Mazda here about 45 minutes from downtown Montreal.
Leclerc is a whirling dervish of energy as he tours me through what is the largest Mazda dealer not just in the Montreal area, or Quebec, or Canada or even North America. No, Albi is the world's No. 1 Mazda dealer.
In 2008, the store pushed out 5,642 Mazdas and is on track to sell about 5,200 or 5,300 in 2009, a recession year when the overall Canadian new car market is off 14.3 per cent to date.
The store is a marvel, and Leclerc figures the whole operation is worth about $30-million. The main building is 154,000 square feet planted on 24-acre lot. The showroom is two stories high, contains at least 100 vehicles that I can see and it's expanding to include another show floor complete with its own escalator leading to a new second-floor showroom.
Typically, he stocks some 1,500 vehicles at any one time so that most customers can instantly find the right make, model and colour of any Mazda. Instant choice eliminates second thoughts and that, of course, helps clinch many sales.
Meanwhile, the service department has some 50-odd bays and the body shop another 40. There is also a full paint shop. Service customers are ushered through a massive indoor welcoming centre that, if all is going well, delivers an instant reception by one of up to six service writers.
“No waiting,” he says.
On top of all that, there is a restaurant, a hair salon, an automated teller machine, a car rental agency and rows of work stations for the sales staff. In back, you'll find a call centre for keeping track of customers and potential ones.
Each new sale is delivered in a special area where owners can eyeball their new car as they sign the purchase agreement.
“Transparency is key; people want to see their cars, so we make sure they can,” he says, pointing to the glassed-in area overlooking the service department.
Leclerc rushes me through his operation with Patton-like zeal. He says the idea here is to be open and honest and try to make buying a car fun, rather than torture. He seems to know what he's talking about.
Back in 1997 when he bought the store, Albi Mazda moved 535 cars and had 32 employees. Today's, sales are up 10-fold and so is the number of employees. In car retailing, this is an astonishing story, but it wouldn't have happened without Loulou, Leclerc's former wife who convinced him to focus on customer service, not simply moving the metal.
That must have been hard for a guy who sold his first car, a Ford, when he was 11 years old hanging out in his dad's auto wrecking yard. In the 37 years since then, he says this idea of transparency and lightning-fast, well-considered customer service allows him to compete with and beat dealers located much, much closer to Montreal.
I don't know what Leclerc's customer satisfaction scores look like, but Albi's sales point to a significant number of repeat customers. And even if you don't buy a car there, the place qualifies as a tourist attraction.
