CFAO opens its two largest car dealerships in Abidjan and Kinshasa
The CFAO Group has announced the inauguration of two new car dealerships in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, and Kinshasa, capital of DR Congo. The Abidjan showroom was opened on 1 June at a ceremony attended by Richard Bielle, Chairman of the CFAO Board, and Marc Ferreol, Chief Executive Officer of CFAO Automotive Equipment & Services West Africa. Both men will be in Kinshasa on Tuesday 2 June for the opening of the Congolese dealership.
Marc Ferreol: "We are happy with these simultaneous openings, which reflect the strength of the Group in the automotive market and will allow us to raise the bar in that market through a range of modern services without precedent in Kinshasa and Abidjan. We aim to underscore CFAO's focus on the quality of products and services."
The Abidjan showroom inauguration reflects CFAO's strong ambitions in Côte d’Ivoire, which have already been embodied by the partnership with L’Oréal and the opening of a shopping centre and Carrefour hypermarket. Meanwhile, CFAO continues to make strides in DR Congo, in one of the region's most buoyant markets. The Group has a market share of around one third in both regions.
The Abidjan dealership was built to the highest construction standards and features a Toyota-exclusive showroom. Customers in Kinshasa will find two sales areas: one devoted to Toyota; the other to Peugeot and Suzuki. Each site includes an aftersales service, servicing workshop, bodyshop, spares warehouse and administrative facilities. They employ 45 and 110 employees, respectively, and represent an investment of more than €15 million.
Marc Ferreol: "In addition to our traditional private, public and broader public sectors, we are increasingly focusing on individual customers through these two new dealerships. We are seeing strong growth among middle-class customers living in cities, who can afford the vehicles we sell. Our track record stretches back more than 128 years in Africa, which has allowed us to build a solid reputation with a brand that has become a byword for reliability."