Gallery Automotive Group LLC has begun construction on BMW and MINI dealerships at 1040 Hingham St., off of Rte. 3, Exit 14. The facilities will occupy a piece of real estate abutting Rte. 3, bisecting the Hingham-Rockland town line.
The new dealerships will replace BMW Gallery of Norwell at 98 Accord Park Dr., Norwell, with 58,000 s/f of BMW and MINI showrooms and service facilities. The current sales and service operations will be expanded, and MINI will have a new home on the South Shore. The showrooms, lot and service departments will include enough space for 200 vehicles, a service area with more than 30 bays and amenities such as high-speed electric charging stations for the emerging electric vehicle market. Doors are expected to open in the fall of this year.
"Our new location will offer our current BMW clientele and anyone who is passionate about driving a state-of-the-art home on the South Shore, and will offer current and future MINI enthusiasts in Southeastern Massachusetts a well-deserved home. We couldn't be happier about our partnership with these iconic brands," said Gallery Automotive Group director of operations Kevin Misanko.
The land owner and developer is A.W. Perry, Inc. Construction management is by Integrated Builders, Inc., utilizing a design-build contract with the Curtis Architectural Group and Judith Nitsch Engineering, Inc.
Development services for Gallery and Perry are being handled by Stratton Development Management and Waypoint KLA, respectively, and construction and permanent financing for the project is provided by Cambridge Savings Bank. Brokerage services were delivered by The Conrad Group's Peter Cooney and James McEvoy, who represented Gallery, and Richard Beal of the Perry Brokerage Associates, who represented Perry.
"The location and design of the new facilities will permit Gallery to meet customers' needs even more effectively and efficiently in a growing South Shore market, while offering an expanded selection of vehicles, including the MINI brand," said A.W. Perry executive vice president Buzz Constable. "Nearby neighbors in Hingham and Rockland, such as EMD Serono, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, will benefit from Gallery's new dealerships."
"The BMW and MINI dealerships are both high-end destination franchises, as evidenced by their design aesthetic. The materials and finishes used both inside and out are consistent with new prototypical standards for both brands and will present more like a downtown office building," said James Mullarkey, founding partner of TCAG.
"We're very excited about the inclusion of a second-floor 'jewelry box,' a glass enclosure that will display eight different models from the BMW and MINI lines, visible from Route 3 South," said Integrated Builders, president Jay Dacey. "This will truly be a one-of-a kind dealership."
The new dealerships will also mean the addition of at least 20 job positions for management personnel, sales staff and service technicians, and the introduction of Gallery Gives charitable giving and volunteer work to new communities.