New Kia State-of-the-Art Showroom Opens

The new multi-million-pound Alan Day Motor Group Kia showroom in West Hendon is set to be one of the best in the country.

That was the verdict of Kia President and CEO Paul Philpott when he officially opened the new state-of-the-art 80,000-square-foot premises.

Speaking at the launch event, he said: "It makes me incredibly proud to be able to officially open this new dealership and I wish the whole team here the very best of luck—not that you're going to need it.

"I have no doubt this is going to be an incredibly successful dealership. I know now that we've got the name Alan Day on the outside of this fabulous new building, this dealership is going to be amongst our very best in the whole country."

Philpott revealed Kia is on course for a record-breaking year, selling around 120,000 new vehicles, making them the number two car brand in the UK.

As an ardent Crystal Palace fan, he was presented with a signed team shirt by former Eagles manager and ex-player Alan Pardew, celebrating the team's Europa Conference League victory.

The glitzy opening night was also attended by England rugby stars Ben Earl, Chandler Cunningham-South, Theo Dan, World Cup winner Ben Cohen, women's double World Cup winner Marlie Packer OBE, and World Cup winner Rosie Galligan.

Expanded Capacity, High-Tech Workshop and Late-Night Servicing

The facility in Garrick Road will have capacity for more than 200 new and used vehicles, including the latest top-selling PV5 electric vans, offering an extensive vehicle selection alongside modern sales and aftersales services.

The high-tech workshop will feature 14 service ramps, multiple diagnostic bays, and the latest workshop technology, with a further 12 ramps planned for installation in early 2027.

The facilities include quiet rooms, breakout areas, and dedicated training facilities.

Community Engagement and Local Job Creation

Alan Day MD Paul Tanner said the new business had created more than 25 new jobs in the community and they were taking on more staff:

“We are incredibly grateful to Kia for giving us the opportunity to be a part of their network, but also for their help with this site. We couldn’t have asked for more.

“We can do everything on-site – sales, services, and we have a massive parts operation that runs like clockwork. That is important to our business. We are even opening a special late-night servicing operation with Uber to help them.”

Tanner said customer service and getting to know the community was an essential goal for his whole team. He added: “It is so important to be face-to-face, building relationships with your customers. That means they are going to come back time and time again to buy a car because we look after them, and we get referral business from their families and their friends.

“In the community, we want to be known as someone who will look after and care for it. I work with the Saracens Foundation and every Monday night I coach children with Down's syndrome, autism, and ADHD. That is not far from here, in Mill Hill. That is linked to the community, and our customers can see that we are not just about selling cars; we are invested in what goes on around us. We do it because we want to do it. Community is very important to us.”