Norman, OK Chevy dealer sells rather than selling out [w/poll]

Jeffrey N. Ross — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

Just like any other retail store, car dealerships are as much about branding as they are about selling products. So when Marc Heitz decided to design his Chevrolet franchise to resemble more of an outdoor enthusiast store rather than a conventional Chevy dealer, General Motors stepped in by stopping payment of quarterly dealer bonuses to the tune of $250,000 each. Now, Automotive News is reporting that rather than redesigning the store or losing an estimated $1 million per year in bonuses, Heitz has instead sold his franchise to a cross-town rival, David Stanley Chevrolet.

Heitz had built his franchise into an attraction as well as a car dealership with unique features like a log-cabin facade, two dog runs and a 110-foot windmill outside and an aquarium, 45-foot tall waterfall and numerous animal statues inside; Chevrolet's design standards consist of a white-and-blue facade.

With annual sales expected to total more than 1,800 new cars this year (making it the 15th best-selling Chevy dealer in the US), we doubt that it will take too long for the new owner to redesign the dealership, which has been renamed David Stanley Chevrolet of Norman. The terms for the sale were not announced, but Heitz spent $20 million building the dealer in 2008.

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Norman, OK Chevy dealer sells rather than selling out [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy refuses to pay bonuses to dealer with Bass Pro Shops-style showroom

Chris Tutor — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

Avid waterfowl hunter Marc Heitz knows ducks would rather land on a pond already populated by ducks. Heitz is also a Chevrolet dealer, and when it came time to build a new facility, he figured car shoppers were a lot like ducks.

"When people see other people on our lot, they're comfortable stopping," Heitz tells Automotive News.

The best way to attract people to his lot, he theorized, was to give them reasons beyond cars and trucks. His Norman, OK showroom has a 45-foot waterfall, an aquarium stocked with local fish species and animal tracks on the floor lead to an arcade for the kids.

Outside the log-cabin-like dealership are bear and elk statues, a picnic area and two dog parks. It feels more Bass Pro Shops than car dealer.

General Motors agrees that it's certainly not your average Chevrolet dealership. And because the Heitz building doesn't have Chevy's signature blue cladding and gold bowtie, GM says it will not pay Heitz his $250,000 quarterly dealer-excellence incentive. A GM spokesman said the company will be glad to reinstate the payments if only Heitz will modify the building to be in compliance with the corporate branding plan, including removing the animal footprints.

"It would be like putting socks on a rooster," Heitz tells AN. And it looks like Heitz is no fan of footware for fowl. He said he doesn't understand why GM wants to mess with something that's working (his dealership sold 1,900 vehicles in 2011), and he has no plans to change anything. Even if it costs him around $1 million a year. Maybe that's what "Chevy runs deep" means?

Chevy refuses to pay bonuses to dealer with Bass Pro Shops-style showroom originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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