T.H White Fiat Group Brand Centre Swindon

[Cinq999]

Just a heads-up, as the company I work for is opening a new dealership in Swindon.

Its is located at Hillmead in Swindon, opens in July, and will be a dealer for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Fiat Commercial, Chrysler and Jeep.

http://www.motors.thwhite.co.uk/

This is the info from the company magazine:

"Following T H White’s appointment as a Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealer in 2011, as well as a full Abarth dealer from the middle of this year, we are very pleased to announce that we are also going to be appointed as a dealer for Chrysler and Jeep.

In addition we are also pleased to announce that from 1 March we will be selling and servicing the Fiat Professional range of commercial vehicles.

This means that our new dealership at Hillmead in Swindon, scheduled to open in late June, will be Britain’s first purpose-built Fiat
Group Brand Centre, where all the Group’s UK marques can be seen under
one roof.

The Swindon dealership, now at an advanced stage of construction, has been
considerably enlarged from the original plan to accommodate the additional brands. As T H White itself is acting as main contractor for the project it has also been possible to call upon the company’s expertise in several areas – including steel fabrication and sustainable energy – to ensure that the building itself will be one of the most technologically advanced motor dealerships
in Europe.

It is planned that the new premises in Hillmead will open in July and at that stage all of the staff will transfer there from Cirencester where the Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership is temporarily located.

The opening of the Swindon dealership will come at a particularly exciting moment, shortly after the launch of the stunning Alfa Romeo 4C midengined coupé at the Geneva Motor Show. The addition of rugged American Jeep SUVs and the Chrysler marque – including the 300C which has won the greatest number of awards in automotive history – will complement the appeal of the charismatic Italian brands.

The Fiat Professional range comprises vans of all sizes, from a Punto-based small van to long wheelbase, high roof models, and brings commercial vehicles to T H White customers for the first time. Van specialist Steve Woodward, with many years of experience in the industry, will be responsible for this part of the business. “The opening of the Hillmead Fiat Brand Centre will mark a new chapter in T H White’s Vehicle Division and will complement our existing Land Rover dealership at Royal Wootton Bassett.”

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi,
I DID see they were opening - but didn't recognise the company's name,
so no more FISH-Y stuff in Swindon then..??,
Charlie

 

[Cinq999]

That's right....Fish Brothers has gone. Bought my Fiat at just the right time.....can now get parts at cost price

 

[Cinq999]

T H White – winner of the Wiltshire Business of the Year 2012 award – is nearing completion on one of the most eco-friendly developments in Swindon. At the heart of the two-acre site adjacent to Shaw Forest Park at Hillmead will be a stunning new vehicle dealership, the first Fiat Group Brand Centre in the UK.

Three of the truly great names of Italian motoring, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Abarth will take centre stage in the new showroom, alongside the Fiat Group’s other iconic brands, Chrysler, Jeep and Fiat Professional vans.
The building will be remarkable not only in terms of its size but also for its energy-efficiency. It will be heated by burning used engine oil drained from vehicles during servicing, solar panels will provide much of the electric power, rain water will be harvested, and water used for cleaning vehicles will be recycled. The building scores highly with BREEAM (Building Research Establishments Environmental Assessment Method), the leading environmental assessment system for buildings.

When it opens this summer, more than 25 staff will start work at the new site which was designed from scratch more than a year ago. But that’s just the beginning: as the business develops, there are plans for more staff to join. T H White has a strong commitment to apprenticeships – also winning the recent Apprenticeship Employer of the Year award – so youngsters will have new opportunities to learn valuable skills in T H White’s Vehicle Division and indeed in their other seven Divisions.

“The Swindon project is driven by big brands that we can be passionate about,” says Nick Down, divisional director, T H White. “They are inspirational car names that really get people interested, that people want to talk about, enjoy, and have a relationship with. The excitement is already building.”

With specially-branded areas for each of the product line-ups, seven service bays and a dedicated MOT bay in a smart new workshop, the company is confident that the new dealership will be a jewel in the crown of Swindon’s motor businesses. “People will be able to choose from a range of new cars starting from well below £10,000, going right up to the stunning new Alfa Romeo 4C supercar,” says Nick Down. “We will also have a superb range of value-for-money used cars. After you have bought a vehicle – new or used – our trained technicians will be able to ensure that it is well maintained to give you years of enjoyable motoring. As well as servicing we also offer a complete after-sales package including the supply of genuine Fiat Group parts and associated services such as MOT testing.”

Much of the area surrounding the new site has been extensively replanted with trees and shrubs. “We have worked alongside the local resident’s association and partnered with the district council to create a showroom site that everyone will be happy with,” adds Nick.

“We are delighted that T H White is developing this superb new site,” says Tim Head, dealer development director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “It’s a big investment, with bold plans. The result will be a showroom in Swindon that we can all be proud of.”

 

[T14086]

Are the labour rates the same for fiat, alfa, jeep and chrysler?

 

[varesecrazy]

I also discovered that the Chrysler Dealership in Kidlington, Oxford,

now also sells new + used AlfaRomeo and will be set-up for FIAT servicing too.!!

 

[Cinq999]

Are the labour rates the same for fiat, alfa, jeep and chrysler?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think so. I'm fairly sure at the old premises at Cirencester, it was a flat rate, and that was for Fiat, Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu.

 

[JTD_Liam]

I also discovered that the Chrysler Dealership in Kidlington, Oxford,

now also sells new + used AlfaRomeo and will be set-up for FIAT servicing too.!!

Indeed! My Sister purchased a new Alfa MiTo from them last week. Pretty decent they've been too. As have Alfa UK I'm pleased to say. The Fiat servicing is a 'watch this space' for now I was told by a couple of their staff, but in theory there'd be nothing stopping you from taking a Fiat there since the engine's are largely shared across the Fiat Group anyway.

TH White looks to be an impressive outfit too, so long as the service matches the impressive sounding new building. They're a long standing local company though, with a good reputation, which is a good start.

The length of time it took for them to reply to my letter regarding prospective employment was disappointing. In fact, they didn't reply, I had to phone them, which I found poor given that my letter demonstrated far more enthusiasm than I'd imagine most people show. But I suppose it's how they deal with car sales and servicing and not HR issues that counts, and since they've been around for years I'm guessing they can't be bad

 

[varesecrazy]

I'd heard rumours that the planning application for the "swindon" site was not done well, and there have been lengthy delays..??,

When I was looking for local Agents in Jan /Feb to testdrive a twinair, they were top of the advertisers chart..!!,
but still have little to show for it apparently,
Charlie

 

[Cinq999]

There was no delay with planning....the only delay was Fiat coming back after construction had started, and wanting the size of the dealership increased, which then meant new designs and more work...and then the Chrysler/Jeep franchise was added, which meant more changes. I think Fiat are planning on having this as their UK showpiece dealership, so should be quite impressive when open.

Fiat/Alfa are still operating out of Cirencester, but that will close when the new premises open.

The staff opening party is 21st July, so official opening should be in August I would imagine...which is still on schedule.

And as regards the service...I've no personal experience with the Fiat side yet, but I know lots of friends and acquaintances who go to our Land Rover dealership at Royal Wootton Bassett because of the good service, so hopefully it should be just as good at Swindon.

The problem now is that I'm tempted to go and look at an Abarth...staff get a 40% discount