Right credentials for dealer principal

Press, 23 July 1987, Page 35

Right credentials for dealer principal

One third of all motor vehicles registered in Christchurch are located in the Riccarton area. That is one of the reasons why Mr Bruce Mlles, a Canterbury man with a good motor retail sales and servicing track record, will open Ham Toyota at the comer of Riccarton and Wharenui Roads on Saturday morning.

Toyota New Zealand, Ltd, is the national distributor and assembler of Toyota vehicles and is a front runner in New Zealand’s new-car and lightcommercial sales stakes, while the Japanese Toyota Motor Company is that country’s largest automobile manufacturer.

In appointing Mr Miles, one of only three independent metropolitan dealers in New Zealand, to represent it in Riccarton, the Johnsonvillebased company is obviously looking to increase its local market share and the dealer principal has the credentials to do that.

Now in his early 30s, Mr Miles joined the New Zealand Motor Corpora-

tion as a management trainee about 17 years ago. During his training period, when he studied all aspects of automotive administration at grassroots level, he also worked for and gained a certificate in commerce accounting at the Christchurch Technical Institute.

By 1973, he had begun selling cars for NZMC and a year later he was NZMC’s top used-car salesman in New Zealand. Not long afterwards, he transferred to NZMC’s Rangiora branch to sell new cars and to buy in used models. In 1976-77 his car sales averaged 31 a month.

After a spell in the United Kingdom with a Ford dealership, where he was instrumental with his employer in improving the new car to used sales ratio from 1 to 4 to 1 to 1.1, he came home to establish a service station which he ran in conjunction with a used-car sales business.

Another overseas trip, during which he studied retail car sales methods

and strategies, followed in 1981, and then he returned to Canterbury and went into a used-car sales business before becoming involved in new car retailing in 1983. As a part of his very professional approach to the motor trade, Mr Miles has laid considerable emphasis on training in his motor-business career. He has gained considerable, overseas experience and has also made a point of having his employees undertake structured training programmes and sent them to training courses overseas.

“I believe a new generation, very different from the older one, is about to emerge in the New Zealand motor retail trade and it is our intention at Ham Toyota to lead this emerging generation,” said Mr Miles. Being an independent operator unencumbered by corporate business, Mr Miles sets his own standards and goals. What he has in store for the Christchurch motoring public will be innovative and exciting.