Shukers Shrewbury's massive refurbishment is now complete--two whole weeks ahead of schedule--and the dealership traded as usual through this huge undertaking.

Work began in mid-October 2010 on the 21st century makeover at the dealership. As part of a huge investment in future technologies and ideals, the Shrewsbury branch will be transformed into a much more customer oriented experience.

The changes are not just superficial, either. Shukers Managing Director, Vernon Hogg says:

"Shukers are at the forefront of cutting-edge ideas and technologies in our industry.

"As consumers, our busy lives are now riddled with a mass of information, and a clutter of tasks and timekeeping, all of which take their toll.

"The new development simplifies every aspect of dealing with Shukers, providing an idealised environment for our customers to relax and interact with. Not only is this the antidote to the overload of many dealerships, but we believe that by employing smart aesthetics, psychology and simplicity, our newly designed dealership will blend with Land Rover's own ideals and present us as a much more customer-focussed company."

The changes include a more customer-friendly internal layout, plus refitting from floor to ceiling -- with a brand new look and style, using modern materials and designs to Euro Global Standards.

Phase One: Done

As of mid-November, Phase Two got underway, almost a week ahead of schedule. To keep the dealership functional, the showroom has been split in two by a temporary wall and dust sheet (see photo, top right, just to the right of the trees).

Finally, after many weeks, what's been going on behind the sheet in Phase One was revealed, and as you can see from the picture, the results are breathtaking. Vernon says:

"We're really pleased with the results of Phase One, and our customers and visitors are already commenting on how amazing the new showroom looks--despite the other side of the building still being under construction. 

"Phase Two is now done, completing the whole project. The offices and reception areas have been replaced with the same high-tech look. The level of detail is incredible, from the colour of the floor tile grout all the way to every inch of glass and ceiling being immaculately reconditioned. The results of the finished project literally take your breath away." 

Shukers Limited picture Phase One complete, the new showroom begins to take shape

Impressive...

Shukers' web marketing guru Chris Jones of Pixelmakers was invited along for a sneak-peak during Phase Two, and he had this to say:

"Gone is the stale 90s look of the old showroom, and the results are spectacular. I think the old showroom's design was all about showing the vehicles in their own environment, with almost toned-down earthy colours. The new design, however, reflects the new clean, technological and dare I say 'bling' of the current Land Rover brand.

"It's very clean, clinical and open without feeling at all like a hospital... this feels more like a five-star hotel in Dubai. From the intense mirror-like gloss of the floor tiles to the pure white light of the new suspended lighting rigs, the whole thing feels 'just right'. There has been no expense spared, and even the customer loos have had a facelift. The result is a feeling of space, relaxation and attention to detail."

See the story...

We've set up a special gallery showing various stages of the refurb... Visit www.shukers.com/shrewsburyrefurb to take a look!

The planned eight-week marathon refurbishment did not affect business, and every small element of the facelift took part in stages to allow the company to continue trading as normal. Vernon says:

"Paramount to our requirements whilst planning the new refurbishment was to ensure our customers didn't suffer as a part of the huge amount of site work involved.

"By carefully planning each step of the project, we've worked carefully with the developers and contractors to ensure we can function as normal throughout."

For full information and to read about the benefits, click here for the full story on our website.

The launch event...

All newsletter subscribers will be invited to our special launch event in early January 2011. Keep your eyes on your email inbox for more details.

Howdy folks... Shukerz the Cat here again, with the latest news and gossip from around the Shukers dealerships. It's been a really cold end to 2010, and now the snow's gone and Christmas is all over (and I'm just reaching the end of the leftover turkey... yum!), I thought it's about time we catch up before the new year...

To start the new year, I've come up with the idea of a new feature in which each issue I'll talk about what makes Shukers tick... from the humble valeting team, right through to top management, starting with...

Focus on: The Parts Department

When people think of car dealerships such as Shukers, they forget that it's not just salesmen and reception staff that make the cogs whir behind the scenes--even though they are the front-facing staff.

Here at Shukers, we have three main customer-facing 'departments'... Sales, Service, and Parts. And again, each one of these departments has sub-departments, all working hard in the background to bring you the full package which we cosily call a 'dealership'.

The Shukers Parts Team are proud to have a very special member on board, Neil Faulkner (pictured below), who is on the Parts Operating Committee at Land Rover UK.

Neil is more than just another face in the crowd here, he's the Midlands' Zone representative for the Land Rover Parts Network, giving us great power here at Shukers... with Neil's expert standing and spokesperson status, he knows Land Rover parts better than anyone else. 

I asked Neil, 'What makes the parts department so vital in the company?', to which he replied:

"The Parts Department at Shukers is often misunderstood as being just 'somewhere to get nuts, bolts and gizmos' for the Land Rover brand.

"Actually, we're directly tied to Sales and Service too. We're responsible for sourcing anything from towbars all the way to body kits and conversions for customers wishing to customise their new vehicle. And our ties with Service are obvious--we help source parts for all models and ages of Land Rover to ensure that if you've got a problem, we can fix it.

"My standing as the Midlands Zone Representative gives me great leverage in the department for getting parts on time and at the right price for our customers.

"Essentially, the Parts department here at Shukers has a responsibility to source and maintain a stock of items in order to fulfil the requirements of our customers. It's sometimes quite challenging when you consider that each model and year variation can have tens of thousands of service parts associated with it."

So, next time you're in the dealership, just remember that there's plenty going on behind the scenes! 

Shukers sponsor under 11s rugby team in Bridgnorth

The Ludlow dealership has equipped 15 players in the under 11s at Bridgnorth with jackets they can wear off the pitch.

Click here to read all about it...

Eastnor provides a treat for builder Colin

Builder Colin Chapman was a special guest of Shukers and Dinmore Leisure at a fantastic Land Rover day out at Eastnor Castle... 

Click here to read the full story 

Exciting news from Ludlow...

Seems like a good month for gossip... not only am I discovering that there's going to be loads of new comfy hiding places in the Shrewsbury Dealership refurb, but there's also something going on at the Ludlow dealership...

Poking around in late November, I saw something which looked like plans for a new building at the Ludlow dealership. I used my CatCam to take a quick picture (see above... excuse the paw prints, it was snowing and wet outside!), and it's looking very exciting...

I can't see they need any more room in their spacious showroom, or any more capacity in the service area... but there's certainly something tweaking my cat curiosity!

And after a quick chat with Mark Clarke, it all became a lot clearer...

Welcome Subaru

Subaru has come to Shukers... and with the new parts and service department open right now, we've now been given the green lights that Shukers has now been awarded Subaru franchise status, meaning we'll be selling the ever popular Subaru marque from early 2011. Read the article here...

There's more...

Following the huge success of our Shukers.com used cars at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury and also at Ludlow, we've now got plans underway to launch a brand new Shukers.com showroom at Ludlow in March 2011. Dealing with prestigious and top-end brands, the quality of our used cars is second to none, and the customer feedback has been overwhelming. So, from early 2011, expect to see a lot more going on at our Ludlow dealership!

Shrewsbury gossip...

Now, remember last issue I told you about Dave Greenan who raised an amazing £1200 for Help for Heroes and Rides for Health (read the article, click here)? Well, he's done it again. On October 9th Dave participated in the Men's Health 'Survival of the Fittest', which was powered by Land Rover.

The event, which was held in Nottingham, was a mammoth Tri-Nations challenge, packing in contestants from England, Wales and Scotland to tackle the urban assault courses to battle it out and become 'survivors'.

Over 10km and 10 obstacles, spanning across such landmarks as the Notts Forest Football Club through to the National Watersports Centre, the race pits thousands of competitors off against each other in a true endurance test.

Dave said: "A fantastic event, with plenty to keep me motivated. I finished the course in a respectable 1hr 9mins, very wet and very tired! Out of the whole course and all the obstacles, the final 8 foot "Men's Health" wall was by far the worst! Would I do it again? Yeah, of course!".

Be sure to keep up with Dave's antics on our website, www.shukers.com. You can find out more about the Men's Health: Survival of the Fittest events at their own site, www.mhsurvival.co.uk 

And a special thanks to me...

"Hello Shukerz the Cat and all of your mates at Shukers.This is just a quick note to say a very BIG thank you. I was the lucky winner of your Off Roading Day Out (well 1/2 day out !!) from the June newsletter.

Wendy and I went to Peckforton Castle on Friday 22 October and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We must pass on our thanks to Charles our instructor for his guidance and insight into just what our car is capable of!

All we have to do now is save our pennies so we can go again. We might even get brave enough to take our own car to Snowdon with the team from Peckforton.

Again, thanks to all at Shukers for a great day out, and to think, all I had to do was correctly list all of the tail-lights on 6 cars. I think I must have spent too long in traffic jams !!"

Ian Thorley

Awww, thanks Ian! And you're very welcome. Be sure to enter this issue's competition... you could be just as happy as Ian!  

We have a winner...

Congratulations to Stephen Cotton who won the last issue's rather testing competition! Keep your eyes on the post Stephen, your prize is on the way!

And until next time...

Well, I won't be speaking to you again until next year... Winter's hit fast, so remember to get your vehicle healthcheck done to top up your antifreeze before January... looks like the cold spell and snow is set to return! Lots going on at Shukers, almost too much to mention here, so keep your eyes peeled at www.shukers.com for all the latest.

Thank goodness they've finished the Shrewsbury dealership before the new year... I felt a little guilty getting wet, snowy pawprints across the new glossy floor... and lets' just hope they've got the heating on down in Ludlow when I go for a snoop around to find out more about this Subaru project!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas, and here's to a prosperous and happy New Year...

Regards from all the team at Shukers, and of course from me, Shukerz the Cat.