Waikato Business News April/May 2021

Walter van den Engel - Director, Ebbett Hamilton
THE NEW EBBETT HAMILTON DEALERSHIP
is a culmination of 3 years of construction
which had been in the planning stages on
and off over the last 30 years. The new
25,000m² site was purchased in 2018 and
designed as a one-stop-shop to showcase
VW and Holden, along with servicing, sales,
parts, paint and panel and a tyre shop.
Ebbett Group Director Walter van den Engel
explains that they wanted a building partner
who could manage a complex project,
ensuring different functional spaces would
work together as a customer-focused facility.
“Foster’s values and credentials were the
right fit” says Walter. “We were confident in
their ability to deal with a major build - where
things change and don’t always go to plan.”
Walter speaks from prior experience; Foster
having worked on Ebbett Toyota and the
refurbishment of Ebbett’s city site in 2002.
Stage 1 saw the construction of the VW
dealership and workshop. Suddenly, in
February 2020 Holden pulled out of New
Zealand and the project had to change to
accommodate other brands. Then, in March,
the country went into Covid-19 lockdown.
“This was the real test” continues Walter.
“Our development was well underway when
all this happened. We asked a lot from
Fosters and this was where they shone.
It was never a case of ‘we can’t do that’,
rather it was ‘let’s see how we can make this
happen’.
“The project became a moving target – what
was the dealership to look like and how
would it function with VW, GMSV, Seat,
Cupra and Isuzu? Plus, we still needed to
accommodate Holden used cars, parts and
service.
“Thanks to the trusted relationship we enjoy
with both Foster and our architects Chow:Hill,
and their interpretation of our needs, the
result is fantastic. We’re very happy with our
new home.”
FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849