PressClub South Africa · Article.
Leo Haese Motors – Celebrating 25 Premium BMW Years
Mon Dec 03 14:22:30 CET 2012 Press Release
For some, 1982 will seem like it was just the other day, for others they would not even have made their way into this world yet. But one thing would have remained constant in their lives: Leo Haese Motors, celebrating 25 years as one of BMW Group’s foremost dealerships in South Africa. A quarter of a century ago, the then-humble showroom situated in Doringkloof, Centurion, teased potential buyers into its folds with glimpses of BMW’s original iconic 635 CSi, mighty 535i and stately 7 Series, whilst the impending launch of the E30 3 Series was the talk of the town.
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Edward Makwana
BMW Group
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Author.
Edward Makwana
BMW Group
Today Leo Haese Motors still creates anticipation amongst both existing customers and potential buyers alike. Instead it's now BMW’s recently launched 3 Series Convertible and the much-anticipated new X5 that are causing all of the excitement.
This premier BMW Dealership was started by Leo Haese, who began his working life as an accountant and joined BMW SA in 1975 as a Business Management Manager. Soon he was promoted to the position of Dealer Development Manager, and moving quickly along to become the Company Secretary and Corporate Planning Manager in 1979.
But in 1982 the retail bug bit, his passion for the BMW product now firmly entrenched, and with BMW’s blessing, he opened Leo Haese Motors and the pace of his - and his business's success - is yet to slow.
The new company showed exceptional growth and in September 1984 was able to take over the Pretoria BMW dealership in Esselen Street, Sunnyside. In October 1991 the company moved again to 65 Schoeman Street, Pretoria.
To further cope with the growth the company experienced, a new head office in Burnett Street, Hatfield in March 2003, boasting superior facilities and state of the art equipment that enabled the company to render breakthrough service to customers and a great working environment for staff that can be still witnessed today.
But having exciting and sought after product is only one part of the success story. In order for retail relationships to be successful, they must contain trust, mutual respect, service excellence, value-added experiences, all of which are built up over time.
Leo Haese Motors has always embodied these values.
“Our business is built around the following core values: Ethical and responsible business principles along with open and honest communication," Leo Haese explains. "By setting and achieving our goals we are creating a stable environment through competent hard work. We believe in treating each other and our customers with respect and in a caring manner."
This focus on business values and ethics has meant that over R3 billion worth of new cars and parts have moved through this BMW retail outlet since 1982. This translates into more than 24 000 BMWs been sold.
Significantly, Leo Haese has more than R200 million invested in his two BMW franchises, and in line with BMW South Africa policy, negotiations are currently underway with a BEE consortium to assume a significant share of the business.
Speaking at a function celebrating Leo Haese's 25th anniversary, and the market launch of the all-new BMW X5, BMW Managing Director Bodo Donauer sums up the company's achievement succinctly: “Today the BMW Group continues to be the world’s leading premium manufacturer in the automotive industry. And I’m happy to say that Leo Haese and his dealerships have grown alongside the BMW Group to become truly successful within the BMW fold. It's thanks to the commitment of dealers like Leo Haese that the BMW Grouo will maintain its position as market leader."
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