With no local Ducati presence for almost three years, Ducati Richmond manager Jamie Nicholls said it was high time the Audi-owned Italian motorcycle brand returned to Lulu Island.
Aug. 24 marked the official grand opening of the 2,000 square-foot store, located at 2145-21000 Westminster Hwy., that combines retail space, a showroom and a full service area manned by a certified Ducati master technician.
"We had a soft opening February 15, we've been open and operating for six months. What's different now is we're done the renovation process - we had a team from Ducati come in and literally measure every
square inch of the building. They took that info and sent it to Italy where their design team put together Ducati identity fixtures for us. They were built in Italy and shipped over here," said Nicholls.
Everything from the artadorned walls to the red shelving to the themed coffee bar hint at the company's Italian racing pedigree. Although Nicholls said all dealers receive some form of official branding, like the other three businesses located in Vancouver, Kelowna and on Vancouver Island that carry other manufacturer's products in addition to Ducati, a good portion of the redecorating done is exclusive and is one of the perks of being
a Ducati-only dealership.
After the now-defunct Richmond Motorsports shut down, he said there was a public outcry to bring another Ducati specialist back.
"Ducati North America started getting inundated with phone calls and emails from people in the area who used to have bikes purchased and serviced in the Richmond area," said Nicholls, who is a motorcycle mechanic by trade. He originally became involved with the company after receiving a call from one of the shareholders whom he knew from his days at the racetrack.
Visit www.ducati-richmond.com for more information.
