The StarOnline (Malaysia): Shell to invest RM50mil on 50 autoserv outlets nationwide (ShellNews.net)
SHELL Malaysia will be investing RM50mil to set up 50 Shell autoserv outlets nationwide over the next three to four years.
Sam Hanna, general manager of Shell autoserv Malaysia, said that on average, the company would spend about RM1mil on each new outlet including refurbishment, fittings and stocks.
“It is timely for Malaysia to have such one-stop centres for car maintenance services,” he said in an interview with StarBiz in Johor Baru.
He said the company had spent US$1mil to conduct research on the concept of car service centres and found that car owners in this country are ready for such facilities.
Hanna said the company’s first outlet in Malaysia – in Taman Johor Jaya - opened less than a month ago and it received good response from car owners.
Johor Baru was chosen instead of Kuala Lumpur as the location for the first outlet due to the former’s proximity with Singapore.
The company will open its second and third outlets in Johor Baru in Tebrau and Tampoi in October and November respectively.
The concept worked well in Singapore, and the company here is getting assistance from the management and training team there to develop the business in Johor.
“The whole concept is to offer a choice for car owners from your usual mom and pop car workshops,” he added.
Car owners have become more discerning and they want workshops to be clean and presentable, and they won’t tolerate dirty outlets anymore
Shell’s centres provide service packages designed to ensure that cars will be in a good working condition. The mechanics will recommend the required Fast Fit Services for brakes, wipers, tyres, shock absorbers, batteries and lighting.
Hanna, who is also Shell autoserv Asean’s chief executive, said there are 320 autoserv outlets in Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.
In Malaysia, the company is opening new workshops while in other countries, the group acquired existing workshops and converted them into Shell autoserv outlets.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/9/17/business/8917859&sec=business