Mullingar Nissan is based in Lough Sheever Business Park on the Castlepollard Road and in this year's edition of the Maroon and White; we profile the company and speak to Dealer Principal Frank Hughes about the success of the business and the fortunes of the GAA in Westmeath of late. Formerly trading as Atlas Cars on the Dublin Road for over 30 years, the business changed its name and premises in Christmas 2005 with Frank admitting that the move transformed their fortunes. As the company title explains, they are a main dealer for Nissan, but their marques do not stop there as Frank and his team are also main dealers for Chevrolet and Ssangyong. Like all businesses, Mullingar Nissan has had to restructure slightly to cope with the economic crisis that has gripped the nation with such ferocity that has resulted in a complete turnaround from the glory days of the Celtic Tiger. Mullingar is a town with no shortage of car dealers and potential buyers are spoilt for choice when it comes to the range of makes and models that they can choose from, meaning that it is a competitive business to be involved in. However, Frank revealed that they have built a large customer base over the years that is helping them through this difficult time and he believes that this is down to one important factor. "Customer satisfaction is the main key to success in this business. If the customer is not happy with the service provided, they will go elsewhere and to be fair, who can blame them," said Frank. "So, it is up to us to ensure that we provide the right type of service that caters for everyone's needs and to that end, I feel we have been doing that fairly successfully over the years. Since we moved to the new premises, which is a state of the art facility, business has improved dramatically and customers can always be guaranteed a friendly and welcoming ambience when they come through the doors. "As is the case with every other business in the country at the moment, we are just threading water, but I believe things will pick up sooner rather than later and if the banks start lending money again, it would see the economy get back to some sort of normality." The customer base of Mullingar Nissan is not just confined to the borders of the county as Frank revealed that people come from further afield to buy their vehicles. "We get customers from a wide area that includes Westmeath, Offaly, Kildare, Longford and even parts of Dublin, so that gives an indication of the service that we provide." Since 1999, the Chevrolet and Ssangyong makes have been added to the portfolio and Frank has been pleased with the sales of all three. "Nissan has always been a good seller, but the other two have made great strides on the market in recent years and both have become very popular among our customers." Apart from sales and after sales, Mullingar Nissan provides many more services as they have a fully equipped workshop that caters for repairs, service and parts, while a valeting service is also available. The experienced technicians and mechanics ensure the smooth running of the operation and they are lead by senior technician Brendan Flanagan, who recently won the Nissan Ireland Technical competition. The staff of 16 are all highly trained in their areas of expertise and strive to make the customer satisfied with their purchase, while Frank and his team are always looking at ways to improve the business, to ensure they stay ahead of their rivals. "We are always looking at ways to improve things here and we know that we have to keep on our toes or we will be left trailing behind our competitors." Frank also believes in the importance of giving something back to the local community and on that front, the business is heavily involved with GAA sponsorship. "The GAA is something that almost everyone is involved in and by supporting the local clubs and the county board, we feel that this is the best way to give something back. We sponsored the county board draw before by giving them a new car to raffle, while we also have sponsored local clubs such as Clonkill and Cullion." The Longford native is a keen GAA follower and despite the rivalry between the neighbouring counties, he would love dearly to see either win a major honour. "Of course it would be good to see either win. Obviously I'm a Longford supporter first and foremost, but I've made many good friends in Westmeath over the years and I would love to see them win another Leinster at least. "They have not had the best of luck in the league this year and were very unfortunate to lose to Tyrone. If they had won that they could have stayed up. The injuries did not help and if they can get all the players fit for the championship then I genuinely believe that they can win the Leinster title again." Like the Westmeath team, Frank has vowed to come out fighting during this current recession and he feels that they are well placed to get through these difficult times. "We have the cheapest prices around and that is what counts at the moment. People are looking for the best possible deals and we can guarantee that. Our customers know the quality of service that we provide and as long as we keep those high standards, there will be no problems." Tweet

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