WeBuyCars has opened the biggest motor showroom on the continent of Africa.
The new WeBuyCars Dome in Randburg, Johannesburg, will have the capacity to host well over 1 000 cars at any point in time once it is fully functional. This incredible achievement is what could be described as the crown jewel in the
WeBuyCars story, a brand that came into a sleepy market and shook things up.
Purchasing The Dome from Ticketpro was an idea that began in 2019 when the
WeBuyCars team was looking for a new dealership to open in the west of Johannesburg. After some deliberations it became clear that The Dome would be the ideal venue because it is in close proximity to potential buyers, it is easily accessible and it has plenty of floor space. From a marketing point of view the venue already has an internationally-acclaimed name and is a strong brand on its own. All this made it the ideal purchase for
WeBuyCars.
Although it opened for business in mid-December 2021,
The WeBuyCars Dome is being brought online steadily in phases. Phase one has seen about 630 cars on the floor, while Phase two is in motion for early next year. The Grand Opening will be in March 2022. So what is the actual capacity of this facility? In the mid-term it can go up to 1 500 or so vehicles at any one point after Phase four for instance.
John Mills,
WeBuyCars Chief Operating Officer said: “The Dome is the ideal place to trade cars because of the scale in which we do that. It is also safe under pandemic restrictions because it is spacious and there is plenty of social distancing that can be achieved.” The normal safety precautions are already being taken, namely the compulsory wearing of facial masks and hand sanitising stations. In addition, while
WeBuyCars has not enforced compulsory staff vaccination, a huge internal drive has been undertaken to encourage it. And it has seen a massive uptake from employees all across the various
WeBuyCars facilities nationwide. Right now more than 70% of staff are vaccinated.
Apart from the size of its facilities,
WeBuyCars also counts on prevailing economic activity for its success. Currently we see more and more buyers entering the pre-owned space because of several factors, and this business is able to capitalise on that.
According to Rikus Blomerus, General Manager: Marketing and Human Resources, this is a great time to buy pre-owned. “The dynamics shaping this includes factors such as the less availability of new cars under the lockdown period, because of limited supplies”, Blomerus said. “The semiconductor issue is also a problem for the new car market. At
WeBuyCars the cars are on the floor, ready to drive home. No long waiting periods.”
WeBuyCars is very much on the pulse in terms of environmental awareness. Part of their ongoing endeavours include being self-sufficient in generating clean power and water.
The WeBuyCars Dome is a good place to work on water harvesting for example, given is expansive roof surface. Solar panels would also play a key role.
With the new
WeBuyCars Dome facility, anyone who wishes to find the car of their choice would be able to bring the whole family, and safely browse hundreds of cars on the floor while the children are being taken care of inside the children’s area. Leisure facilities such as coffee shops give the place a real family ambiance. There are exciting future plans involving specific events for the
WeBuyCars Dome, so watch this space.
