Ford unveils ‘showroom of the future’

The Bayford Group has opened the first Ford ‘Showroom of the future’ in the Southern Hemisphere in Melbourne. Ford partnered with Fitch Design to create the space, and says the new retail concept will become a global standard. Features in the showroom include a complimentary café and breakfast bar, kids’ play room, free wi-fi and a cinema room. The dealer principal of Bayford Ford Epping, David Blackwood, said it was “a great honour to be chosen as the first site in Australia, and one of the first in the world, to receive this amazing refresh.” The opening was attended by Ford’s global leader in consumer experience, Elena A. Ford, who said the showroom was part of Ford’s global interior refresh programme. “Ford is focused on connecting with consumers on their terms and building an experience they will love, regardless of where they meet us,” she said. A new ‘tech-bar’ will showcase new retail technology. Model information will be updated constantly and is accessible and customisable on a new digital content platform. Printed posters have become a thing of the past, and dealers how have the option to change their display branding via a cloud-based media system.    The Ford of Australia president, Graeme Whickman, said it was an “exciting” time for Ford, and that the division plans to expand. By 2021, the company aims to have 90 updated showrooms across the country. Whickman said the new space “allows the customer to be in control and showcase the vehicles in a unique and stimulating way, whilst providing customers with purposeful technology.”