TWO NEW IN CALIFORNIA

I love heading to the ‘Golden State’, especially when it’s for the opening of not one, but two, remarkable new retail stores, one Land Rover Centre and one Jaguar Land Rover Centre, in the same week, writes Chris Marchand, Executive Vice President, Operations, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC.

First it was off to Northern California to Cole European, in Walnut Creek, Calif. and the opening of owner Bob Cole and General Manager Wayne Babcock’s brand new combined Jaguar and Land Rover facility.

They threw a fantastic ‘christening’ party for over 350 owners and friends with great live music, some terrific local seafood and great wines from the nearby Napa Valley.

Cole European has been a long‑standing Jaguar and Land Rover retailer in the vibrant East Bay area for several decades and this new showroom in Walnut Creek is a true masterpiece of contemporary design.

Even though it occupies this tight triangular piece of property on North Main Street right downtown, it still manages to feel open and spacious, and does a remarkable job of showcasing our vehicles.

Two days later, I was heading to Encino just north of L.A. for the opening of Land Rover Encino’s stunning new facility on Ventura Boulevard.

Centre Manager Linda Terashita and the AutoNation team masterminded this bold makeover that included leveling the old showroom and the creation of a new, state‑of‑the‑art facility that oozes contemporary style with touches of trademark Land Rover adventure.

Since our first Land Rover ‘centres’ opened in 1994, we’ve continued to evolve the look and feel of the facilities in‑line with the modernizing of our Land Rover and Range Rover models.

So you’ll see more use of gorgeous natural woods in the showroom, a sleeker look and feel to the fixtures and fittings along with our trademark green tower on the outside and the inlaid compass rose as you walk in.

Land Rover Encino does a great job in its market, continuing to be one of Land Rover’s top five retailers in the U.S. and a repeat winner of our Pinnacle Club that recognizes outstanding retailer excellence.

Two retailer openings in two days is pretty impressive. I think it proves that even in times when the economy has been challenging, our retailers see the Land Rover and Jaguar brands as having real momentum, and are prepared to make significant investments to ensure our customers have experiences in showcase facilities.

It looks like it was a smart decision. In the first quarter of 2012, Land Rover sales here in the U.S. were up 29 percent and Jaguar sales were up 33 percent compared with the same period in 2011.

I certainly flew home from The Golden State with a very sunny disposition and a really positive ‘state’ of mind for our future.