Automotive News Canada - November 2020 - 22

22

* N O V E M B E R 2020

Dealerships flex their ability to adapt
The initial focus
during the
pandemic was on
taking care of staff,
and then these
Alberta stores
figured out how to
get back to selling
By GLORIA GALLOWAY

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS CANADA

CANADIAN AUTO DEALERS
felt the crushing economThe pandemic forced the McManes Automotive Group
ic blow dealt by COVID-19,
dealerships to change how they operate, said HR manager
but some have found ways to
Helena Byrne. Some customers preferred online shopping,
thrive. Among them are the
for example. P H O T O S : M C M A N E S A U T O M O T I V E G R O U P
Calgary stores owned
by the McManes
Automotive Group.
said General Manager human-resources manager for
Like many busiDan Katz.
the McManes' 19 dealerships,
nesses, McManes dealEven before the
including nine in Calgary.
erships were hit hard
pandemic, the dealThe virus forced retailers to
by the pandemic, and
ership switched its
change the way they operate,
some had to briefly lay
salespeople from
she said.
off staff.
computers to tabFor those customers who
But one of those
lets so deals could be
were uncomfortable venturing
dealerships, South
done outside at picinto public spaces, the dealTrail Hyundai in
erships created processes for
Katz: " If you're nic tables all summer
Calgary, came back
long.
online shopping, from videos
prepared for
and reported new- and anything,
" If you're prepared
that explained all of the feaused-vehicle sales that then you can
for anything, then you
tures of a vehicle, to interacwere up 20 per cent
can take care of anytive ways to sign the deal.
take care of
between June and
thing, " Katz said.
" Yes, it took some more
anything. "
September, compared
Other dealerships
work and some more time, "
with the same period in 2019.
in the McManes group had
Byrne said, " but it allowed us
" I have always been a
record months even as health
to continue to do business. "
believer that you can't worry
restrictions remain in place
People were worried about
about the rain, you've just got
and physical distancing congetting sick and also whethto learn how to dance in it, "
tinues, said Helena Byrne,
er the dealerships were sus-

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tainable in the new pandemic
best practices. "
environment, she said.
The top priority for the
" I think there was a point
executives was looking after
in time where we thought,
employees, she said. To create
'Oh, my gosh, is this business
a safe working environment,
going to be shut down?' "
they followed the guidelines
Some of those
set by the city of
worries were abatCalgary and Alberta
ed when auto
Health Services.
services were
Tammy Rausch,
declared essenthe health and safetial by the provinty manager of the
cial government
group's Calgary
and allowed to stay
stores, did an
open.
" incredible " job of
But sales
implementing proplunged in March
cedures to keep
and April, and
people out of the
South Trail Hyundai had to
reach of the virus, Byrne said.
put 20 per cent of staff on temRausch has since died from
porary layoff.
causes unrelated to COVID-19.
Mercedes-Benz Country
Once staff felt comfortHills, another Calgary dealerable about being in the stores,
ship in the McManes group,
" customers felt comfortable to
held off for a few weeks and
come in as well, " Byrne said.
then found that laySouth Trail
offs were unnecHyundai, meanessary because
while, has since
sales were pickresumed hiring,
ing up. So much so
seeking such posithat Country Hills
tions as service
increased sales year
advisers and sales
over year in every
executives.
month from May
Going forward,
through September.
Bryne said, more
And, it wasn't
adaptations will be
Byrne: " We
long before all
necessary. The dealerstarted meeting
McManes stores in
regularly with all ships will have to figCalgary were back at the executives
ure out how to keep
full staff.
full complements of
and general
Although the
staff when people fall
managers and
McManes dealerdealer principals sick or are required to
ships operate indeisolate for two weeks
of each store,
pendently, they
at a time.
and we were
share some corpoBut the first wave
able to really
rate services includunify and come
of the pandemic has
ing human resourctogether and
provided many of the
es. That meant basic discuss best
answers.
practices. "
health policies relat " We're very big
ed to COVID-19 could
on culture here
be enacted across the group.
because we spent so much
" We started meeting regtime together, " Katz said. " It
ularly with all the execureally is an extended family. I
tives and general managers
wanted to just make sure that
and dealer principals of each
didn't go away. Keeping people
store, " Byrne said, " and we
together, even though we have
were able to really unify and
to be apart, is the best way
come together and discuss
to go. " - ANC

Dealerships let staff decide
whether to be laid off
WHILE LAYOFFS WERE
a part of life as COVID-19
took hold in early March,
some dealerships were able
to keep some or all of their
staff members on the payroll, even through the pandemic's toughest months.
At Lockwood Kia in
Oakville, Ont., it was left up
to staff to decide whether he
or she preferred to be laid
off and collect the Canada
Emergency Response
Benefit or continue working
while the dealership was
shut down, said General
Manager Michael Defreitas.
Craig Beck, dealer principal at Jim Gardhouse
Chrysler in Owen Sound,
Ont., and Port Elgin

Chrysler in Port Elgin, Ont.,
took a similar approach and
found that putting the decision into the hands of his
employees gave them input
that was important to them.
" We used COVID as a
team-building exercise,
and we rallied our troops, "
Beck said. " We had a few
staff offer [to be laid off]
who were closer to retirement and wanting to ensure
that the younger staff would
have employment. ...
" We had very minimal
forced layoffs - I think two
or three between the dealerships. Because of that, we
gained a lot of respect from
our customers and the community. " - ANC
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Automotive News Canada - November 2020

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