LUXURY car dealer Dick Lovett has created 100 new jobs in Melksham with the opening of a new multi-million pound BMW/Mini Centre.

More than 500 guests attended the official opening last night (November 10) of the group’s new ‘flagship’ dealership at Portal Road, Bowerhill.

They included local MP Michelle Donelan; Cllr Simon Crundell, the mayor of Melksham, and Cllr David Pafford, the vice-chairman of Melksham Without Parish Council.

Miss Donelan said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic to bring in local jobs into the area.  It’s just one of the examples of companies in Melksham which are recruiting.

“We have had some disappointing news recently from Cooper Tires but this just shows the vast range of opportunities on offer. There are lots of different jobs involved here, it’s not just salespeople.”

Cllr Crundell said: “It was a real privilege to be invited to the opening of the new Dick Lovett dealership in Melksham.

“This investment demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in our town and will bring jobs and investment for a number of years to come.

“This state-of-the-art dealership is the first of its kind in the UK and takes a new approach to how customers interact with the product and the business.”

Cllr Pafford said: “It’s a magnificent new building and is what the council is interested in bringing to the area.

“We have got to get the right balance between housing development and commercial development.

“This kind of investment is helping to create new employment so let’s hope that continues.”

The BMW/MINI Centre has been relocated from the Lower Bristol Road in Bath, where the old showrooms have been demolished to make way for new student accommodation.

Dick Lovett is a family-run business that has been representing BMW since 1968 and MINI since 2000. The Bristol-based group also includes Aston Martin,  Jaguar/Land Rover, Ferrari and Porsche among its franchise brands.

The new showrooms at Melksham are directly opposite Dick Lovett’s Jaguar and Land Rover showrooms in Commercial Way on the other side of the A350.

The opening included a display of 23 ‘heritage’ BMWs and Minis donated for the evening by customers, including Dick Lovett’s chairman Peter Lovett and his wife Zoe.

A spokesperson said: “We are excited to announce that our BMW and MINI Bath Centre has now moved to a large, purpose-built building in Melksham and is located opposite our Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships.

“Our brand new showrooms feature BMW and MINI's latest 'Retail Next' showroom concepts, and a 29-bay workshop complete with a state-of-the-art wheel alignment facility.

“Both our BMW and MINI showrooms are equipped with the latest models, technology, fully catered lounge bar facility, customer business suites and so much more.

“Looking to the future, our new Centres are fully sustainable including a full PV solution to produce energy for the site.

“With the move towards all-electric motoring, we're delighted to share that our new Centres feature 15 x 22kW AC charge points and 4 x 50kW DC charge points. 

“Dick Lovett has over 50 years of BMW experience and we are committed to always maintaining and delivering the highest possible dealership standards for our customers.

The new centre features the very latest showroom design from BMW/MINI, as well as the latest showroom and workshop technologies.  

Owners will be able to use suites to enabling them to carry on with their work whilst their car is being serviced, with refreshments available.

Anyone wanting to work at the new BMW/MINI Centre in Melksham should call 01793 458 888 for a friendly informal chat about the career opportunities on offer.