Page 76 - Australian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2020

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BEST NEW SHOP – QUEENSLAND
ASR
2020 HAS BEEN A ROUGH YEAR FOR QUEENSLANDERS - EVEN IF THE BARS WERE OPEN SOONER.
W HILE THE STATE’S EARLY SUC- cess in quarantining COVID saw many companies continue unaffected, many others saw their business hit by the inevitable
tourism downturn.
“There are a lot of accidents up here
with tourists on roundabouts. And driv- ing on the wrong side of the road,” laughs Corey Croft, office manager at ASR Collision Specialists. “So, under- standably, we’ve been hugely affected by the lack of tourism.”
For instance, the Cairns bodyshop, situated right by the airport, went from an average of 75 cars a week in February, down to about 30 on prem- ises. Meanwhile, the number of quotes had dropped from 120 down to about 40 per week.
In something of a silver lining, the 35- year old company finished construction on a major expansion to its premises.
Founded by Garry Gilholm in 1978, Airport Smash Repairs (as it was then known) has grown from a single site to a multi-tiered business, with its ASR Prestige brand launching in 2015, and Prestige Paint last year.
In 2019, ASR was bestowed with the James Cook University Business Excel- lence Award, recognising its overall achievements, but focusing specifically on its customer service.
SHOP STATS
Handling upmarket vehicles such as Porsche and Audi, ASR Prestige cap- tures almost the entire demographic in Cairns, with the nearest comparable bodyshop in Townsville.
In May, ASR opened the rollers on its new paint shed, in which they in- stalled a new Pan Spraybooth. “We’ve got two compressors as well so we’ve always got a standby,” says Croft. “And we’ve got a wheel re-alignment system next door.”
When the roof went up on the new paint shed, the team at ASR decided to reconfigure the entire site, moving the
delivery shed to the opposite side of the complex to allow for a better customer experience and repainting every struc- ture to match the new branding.
While the Prestige brand has its own shopfront, designed in the language of the modern European dealership, Gil- holm believes it’s those old-time values that account for ASR’s longevity.
“There’s still a country feel up here in Cairns,” says Gilholm. “People like deal- ing with local businesses. And that’s why some of the bigger corporates can’t hold on.”
It’s with that manner of service in
PAINT&PANEL
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
SIZE: 2100m2
TYPE OF WORK: All types STAFF: 24
CARS PER WEEK: 75-80 OEM: Jaguar Land Rover