As a new offering for car-buyers across West Yorkshire, the UK’s leading used car retailer CarShop – which already operates a large, well-known store in Wakefield – has selected Halifax as the home of its latest Express store. This new store will open its doors to the public on Monday 1st November.
The store will be unlike any other in that, as well as allowing customers to choose from the retailer’s thousands of cars UK-wide online and having their preferred make and model moved to the store for a test drive or collection completely for free, it will also hold a selection of cars on-site which customers can browse from. In this way, CarShop Express Halifax – which will be situated on Halifax Road in Shelf – is the first store of its kind in the UK.
Nigel Hurley, CEO goes on to explain: “CarShop Express Halifax builds on the extremely successful Express store concept that already exists in Leicester and Leighton Buzzard, and combines this with CarShop’s larger, original stores to hold 70 cars that have been hand-picked to cater for the local area.
“It’s the best of both worlds and we’re hoping that it will encourage our Yorkshire customers to browse, hold and buy their cars with even more ease and speed than ever before.”
The store will take the place of the former VW dealership on Halifax Road, which closed in 2019. Designed with a friendly and comfortable feel in mind, CarShop Express Halifax will cover 14,520 sq. ft and hold features such as pods where customers can speak to an Express specialist and comfortable waiting areas.
Nigel continues: “While this Express store is a completely new concept that allows customers to design their own purchasing experience, it still holds CarShop’s important core principles front and centre.
“This includes every car coming with a complete quality and safety check, three-month CarShop Warranty and Price Match Promise with fixed costs meaning there’s no awkward bargaining or price negotiations. Plus, our Express specialists will be able to take customers through our flexible finance options so they can find a way to fund their car that suits them. All of this helps us to ensure the customer has a relaxed and enjoyable buying experience as possible.”
Plus, if customers need help finding the perfect car, they can pop by the store and browse the 70 options in-person or thousands of options online using in-store technology – all with the support of an experienced CarShop colleague who will be on-hand to help them through the process.
Fifteen new positions have been created as a result of this opening – the majority of which are Express Specialists who support the customer the whole way through their buying journey, making for a really personalised experience. Joining them are a Vehicle Technician and an Account Administrator, which CarShop is still currently recruiting for on its CarShop Careers page.
CarShop, otherwise known as the home of good carma, also takes a lot of pride in its community connections and this is something it says it will definitely be bringing to Halifax. For example, every store pledges its support to national charity, Global Make Some Noise, as well as a grassroots charity that is based in the area and chosen by the store’s colleagues.
When customers make a purchase, they are given a ‘pink coin’. They then select which charity they would like this pink coin to go to – CarShop’s national charity or the store’s local charity – and the retailer donates £1 for every coin at the end of the month. This initiative, amongst all others, has resulted in a grand total of almost £300,000 being raised by CarShop stores for good causes nationwide since 2016.
Paul Harnett, the head of business at CarShop Express Halifax who previously led the CarShop Manchester team, said: “I’m really excited to be involved in the opening and running of CarShop Express Halifax – the first store of its kind in the UK through combining the Express experience with having a selection of cars on-site and a large service centre to cater for the local area.
“Plus, I live in Wakefield, so I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time at home with family rather than on the road.
“If you’re thinking about buying a car, or part-exchanging your old one, then please do get in touch – our small team of friendly colleagues would be more than happy to help. Equally, if anyone has any suggestions for a deserving local charity we can support as a business, then please do let us know!”
