Arnold Clark, Inverness

[The Stimulator]

Headed up to Arnold Clark Inverness today to talk to the service desk, and was very surprised to see their lovely showroom closed. BMW have moved to the building next door.

I used to enjoy going upstairs and browsing their bike section, always a good selection of new and used bikes, plus plenty of opportunity for a chinwag.

Very disappointed to see that bikes are back to how they used to be in the old Calterdon days, seemingly very much of an afterthought, crammed into a corner. Doesn’t seem like Arnold Clark or BMW Motorrad U.K. care very much about the 2 wheel side up here.

Apparently the service team is the same, but somehow the idea of sitting in a soulless car showroom waiting for my bike to be serviced doesn’t seem as attractive now. Just felt a bit second class in there.

 

[wessie]

Apparently the service team is the same, but somehow the idea of sitting in a soulless car showroom waiting for my bike to be serviced doesn’t seem as attractive now. Just felt a bit second class in there.

we have the same with the Sytner branch in Shrewsbury. It's under half an hour away and better than travelling over 2 hours to Cheltenham or going to that service centre in Chester which is not on the same site as the showroom.
The coffee, cans of pop and biscuits are the same.

 

[fatbaldbob]

Inverness Motorrad have been going through a rapid down turn ever since Calderton were taken over by Arnold Clark. That upstairs showroom was an afterthought and was never part of the original building plan, looks like they can no longer afford to keep it.

Bike sales were always robust so guessing it’s the car side that’s gone quiet and forcing the change.

The sales team are good guys but let down by the rest of the business who treat them as a novelty side show. Servicing side was never good either.

As you say, it was a nice place to drop into for a free coffee and biscuit, browse the bikes and chat with Ivor and Duncan. Guess you could still do that but no doubt the ambiance will not be the same.

 

[The Stimulator]

Inverness Motorrad have been going through a rapid down turn ever since Calderton were taken over by Arnold Clark. That upstairs showroom was an afterthought and was never part of the original building plan, looks like they can no longer afford to keep it.

Bike sales were always robust so guessing it’s the car side that’s gone quiet and forcing the change.

The sales team are good guys but let down by the rest of the business who treat them as a novelty side show. Servicing side was never good either.

As you say, it was a nice place to drop into for a free coffee and biscuit, browse the bikes and chat with Ivor and Duncan. Guess you could still do that but no doubt the ambiance will not be the same.

Duncan’s comment to me today summed the situation up “At least we’ve still got a bike section”. He was trying to make the best of it, but being stuck away in a corner it didn’t look any more than an afterthought.