Car dealer targets turnover boost after £1m showroom investment

Car dealer NK Motors has reported a surge in sales since completing a £1 million showroom refurbishment

Last year, the Kia dealership saw sales from its Pride Park branch exceed 2,500 cars – despite work being carried out on the revamp.

The project took 12 months to complete and included the addition of six new upper-floor offices, a double mezzanine space upstairs and a makeover of its large showroom.

As a result, the business is hoping to achieve a £100 million turnover this year, compared with the already impressive £80 million achieved in 2024.

Group managing director Sanj Kumar said: “Kia cars have come a very long way since the early days, and customers love the quality, the high basic specification and the seven-year warranties that the manufacturer provides.

“But NK Motors’ success is also about how we treat our customers and the fantastic environment we provide for them at our Derby showroom.

“As an official Kia franchise dealership, we have certain standards and guidelines that we must meet in terms of our showroom, branding and presentation.

“But with this latest refurbishment, we have gone above and beyond what we are required to do.

“It’s an amazing space, and we’re extremely happy with the result – not least the car sales results, which seem to have coincided with the completion of refurbishment work at the end of last year.”

NK Motors Group also includes a car dealership in Chilwell, close to where Sanj’s dad, Nindy Kumar, launched the original business in 1981.

In those days, Mr Kumar senior launched his business as a car mechanic and MOT centre before expanding into used car sales.

But it was Nindy’s foresight in striking a deal in 1999 to buy a batch of 150 Kia cars that launched the business and built its ongoing relationship with the South Korean car manufacturer.

Sanj joined his dad’s business as a teenager in 1998, working in various roles, from vehicle technician to sales executive, in Chilwell before the milestone move to Pride Park in 2005. Nindy continues to play an active role in the family business.

Today, NK Group employs 120 staff across all businesses, while NK Motors has doubled its turnover in the last 10 years.

The wider NK Group also includes an inhouse construction team, a horse livery, a large commercial property portfolio and the Nicco Restaurant and Bar, which is also on Pride Park.

Sanj said: “We’ve come a very long way as a business since dad opened his garage in 1981.

“But thanks to a bit of luck, some shrewd business decisions and an awful lot of hard work, we’re still growing strong and have even bigger plans for the future.”