Horizon Magna Motor Group officially opened the doors of its refurbished Nissan Dorchester dealership at an event attended by 170 customers and VIP guests.

The fully refurbished showroom, on Millers Close, opened on Monday (January 28) and has almost doubled in size and the works – completed over a two-year period – represented a “huge investment for the retail group, dealer principal Tony Jordan.

Top executives from Nissan Motor GB and the Mayor of Dorchester, councillor David Taylor, cut the ribbon at the 400sq-m showroom that is now one of the largest in the manufacturer’s UK retail network.

Jordan said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the showroom. You can look at plans and know what’s going in, but it’s not until you see it that you realise how impressive it is.

“We’ve represented Nissan in Dorchester since 1990 and moved to this site in 2004, and the refurbishment underlines our commitment to the brand and our local community.

“The dealership represents a huge investment by the Horizon Magna automotive group.

“We are proud to be a privately-owned company that was established in Dorset in 1971, serving the region’s drivers for over 48 years, and, with a team of over 250, we are one of the UK’s top 150 motor groups.”

Work on Horizon Magna Motor Group’s Dorchester Nissan facility was completed in two stages to minimise disruption to the retail and aftersales business.

The initial stage saw it relocate its workshop facility to another site in Millers Close, with the second phase commencing in September 2018 and seeing the showroom area extended into the redundant space.

The Dorchester Nissan showroom can now comfortably accommodate 12 vehicles, compared to six previously.

Additionally, there’s increased space around the cars; while customers also enjoy the advanced new features that have been incorporated as part of Nissan’s latest retail concept design.

The showroom includes a ‘Re-fuel‘ customer lounge where they can relax with a hot drink and an design lab, which allows them to interactively configure their new Nissan.

Dorchester Nissan has grown its team alongside its showroom, with a further five jobs, including two showroom hosts who greet customers on their arrival and help with initial enquiries.

Outside, there’s a new commercial vehicle display area and enough room to show up to 40 pre-owned, Nissan Intelligent Choice Nissan models.

In response to the dealership’s growing number of customers driving the pure electric Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 van, the amount of EV charge points has now doubled to four.

Aftersales customers continue to enjoy the expertise of Dorchester Nissan’s manufacturer-trained technicians and the full spectrum of services available through its 10-bay workshop, including MoT

Jordan added: “Reaction has been fantastic and our guests loved the new contemporary look, hi-tech features and the space. The launch was a great way to showcase our new facility and show our customers how we are striving to provide them with the very best experience."