BMW Ireland announce €37million retailer investment in facilities with electro mobility operations to become core to Irish network.

BMW Ireland has announced that its retail network will be making a significant €37 million investment across its operations in Ireland and in the process will be creating 120 new jobs over the course of an 18 months period. This substantial financial commitment coincides with the expansion of BMW i, the electric vehicle sub brand of BMW, in Ireland.

The BMW i brand will now become an integral part of all Irish retailers’ operations to sell and service the Group’s current and future range of electrified vehicles including BMW i3, BMW i8, range of plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as the forthcoming BMW iX3 and the MINI Electric.

Key highlights within this overall investment in the Irish market include:

• Frank Keane will substantially expand its sales and service retail centres at Naas Road and Blackrock in South Dublin to further increase sales and service capacity as well as increasing its footprint via the acquisition of an adjacent premises at its Naas Road location.
• Colm Quinn will be expanding operations with the opening of two new sales and service retail centres in Co. Sligo and in Drogheda, Co. Louth.
• In the coming weeks Joe Duffy will move to a brand new sales and service centre in Charlestown which is  adjacent to its current North Road facility off J5 of M50. 

Other BMW retailers including Aherns, Bolands, Conlans, Donohoe and Morrison will also make substantial investments to upgrade facilities at their retail sites to incorporate the BMW i brand sales and servicing. In Cork Kearys, who are already a BMW i Agent, will expand their motorbike division- BMW Motorrad- with a dedicated sales and servicing showroom. Meanwhile BMW Ireland will continue its longstanding relationship with Martin Reilly who will continue a servicing relationship as an authorised repair centre.

Recruitment for positions at the all BMW retail operations will be filled over the next 18 months across all functions of the business including retail centre operations and car service support as well as back office management including administration, accounting and finance, property & facilities management, marketing, communications and HR. Details for upcoming positions will  be available on www.BMW.ie/careers.

Speaking on the announcement, Paulo Alves, Managing Director of BMW Group Ireland said: “We were the first premium brand to make a clear commitment to electric mobility, we currently have the widest range with nine electrified vehicles and this will grow to 25 models by 2025. The expansion of BMW i operations and the significant financial investments by our Irish retail network is a clear commitment to meet the future demands of our customers. It means that we are well positioned to capitalise on our ground-breaking efforts to transform individual mobility in line with BMW Group’s overall global strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT.”

BMW Group’s global strategy, NUMBER ONE > NEXT sets clear guidelines and provides the company with a roadmap for shaping the individual premium mobility of tomorrow in a sustainable way that will secure its future. This includes refining BMW Group’s business model combining profitability, operational excellence with fresh thinking. In doing so, BMW Group is guided by its goal of long-term, profitable growth for the company. Information about BMW’s strategy, NUMBER ONE > NEXT or BMW i can be found HERE, meanwhile customers looking to find their nearest BMW retail centre can visit www.BMW.ie/myretailcentre.

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About BMW i

BMW i is a sub-brand of the BMW Group which was founded in 2011 and is responsible for the design and manufacture of plug-in electric vehicles.  BMW i represents a holistic and ground-breaking approach that is redefining sustainable premium mobility – combining electric drives, innovative materials and technologies in revolutionary concepts for the future. The focus is on a new understanding of premium that is defined by sustainability throughout the entire value chain.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2016 was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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For more information please contact:

Laura Condron | Communications, Sponsorship and Events Manager | laura.condron@bmw.ie  | +353 86 047 7549