Prestige. Excellence. High-tech. Unique. These are just some of the superlatives that come to mind when trying to accurately describe Bidvest’s World of Yamaha, the newest showroom for the Japanese powerhouse brand Yamaha.
In what is not just a first for South Africa, but also the world, Yamaha have put all their product lines under one extraordinary roof for your browsing convenience. No longer do you need to visit individual product stores because you can now look around for all your musical instruments, audio visual equipment, power products, motorbikes and intelligent machinery requirements in just one sole location.
All for one, and one for all
Yamaha Music CEO, Mike Hardy-Brown, explains that the move was an expensive and ambitious exercise, but a sound long-term investment, as it will unquestionably assist in brand strength and brand building by putting all their divisions and franchises together; therefore, also giving Yamaha a stronger marketplace presence.
“There is now a lot of synergy with the service departments, and, in terms of sales and marketing, we’re all under one roof. It makes [internal] communication much easier, and, logistically, it has been quite an advantage for us.”
From a customer perspective, Hardy-Brown believes that this building opens up the doors to a bigger and broader product range, as well as the esteemed and celebrated Yamaha lifestyle or culture. “It’ll create a higher demand for the Yamaha brand per se [not just the individual product lines]. We’ve already received a positive reaction, and hopefully it continues to create a bigger demand [for the brand].”
Live shows and events
Viewable from the M1 highway (actually, it’s rather unmissable) and just a few minutes away from the business hub of Sandton, the extraordinary building is a marvel to behold, as the massive structure encompasses Yamaha’s core values of being first-class, modern and ahead of the pack in its striking appearance. It consists of: a luxurious, spacious showroom with built-in sound systems (which can be controlled remotely via an iPad); a retail outlet for Yamaha branded clothing and accessories; a middle section coffee bar that can cater for 100-700 guests; a full industrial sized kitchen; specifically designed sound rooms for product testings; and a state of the art auditorium/theatre for approximately 200 people, which has already been christened by one of South Africa’s favourite rock bands, Prime Circle.
Music fans are undoubtedly licking their lips at the possibility of more live events and functions in the future, and Hardy-Brown confirms that many more will be hosted in this professionally lighted, pitch-perfect theatre. “It’ll be [a] very regular [occurrence]. We have planned for it to be a commercial theatre, which is also rentable, so, we’re going to be having quite a few events and we are looking to feature a lot of bands and artists. The theatre will also be used for our internal launch events. For example, if we’re launching a motorbike or new piano or Clavinova, it’s going to be used for that, as well.”
Show and tell
There is hardly anything more frustrating than walking into a showroom and not being able to find an in-house specialist who can answer all your relevant questions and product queries – especially when you are looking to part with some hard earned moolah.
However, valuing the “knowledge is power” ethos and offering nothing but the best in customer service, Yamaha’s in-house music specialist is a true master of his craft, who is more than capable of answering all your questions and perhaps teach you a thing or two. “On the music side, we have a qualified classical pianist, who took part in various Japanese competitions, and is very knowledgeable on piano, synthesisers, keyboards and instruments right across the board. He is really a specialist in his field,” Hardy-Brown declares.
Looking around the music section, it’s certain to become a little piece of heaven for musicians, hobbyists, collectors and occasional jammers, as it showcases the “Rolls Royce” of guitars, pianos, drums and other instruments.
Apart from the retail store on the premises, which sells official Yamaha branded clothing and accessories (the store also has the official bike of multiple MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi on display; just for all you racing and bike enthusiasts), the showroom does not sell directly to the public. Hardy-Brown explains how the showroom works and what the process would be if you wanted to purchase a product.
“Firstly, we run the customer through all the features and functions of the product, explain the significance of the brand, and then link them with one of the retail outlets in the customer’s area. So, for example, if someone comes in from Limpopo, we’d put him/her in touch with one of our dealers up there, finalise the deal telephonically, and then leave it up to the customer to decide if he/she wants to pay here or there.”
In other words, Bidvest’s World of Yamaha is a sophisticated showroom and not a walk-in, buy off the floor retail outlet – so, don’t go there and plan on buying guitar strings or something…
Revolutionary
In this day and age, the word “revolutionary” gets thrown around quite a bit, but there really is no other way to describe Bidvest’s World of Yamaha.
“This building is really unique, and can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world. We’re the only agents [worldwide] that have everything that Yamaha manufactures – from motorbikes to boats to grand pianos to audio systems to even robotics. This is a first for South Africa and the world. There’s nothing else like it,” Hardy-Brown concludes.
Without a doubt, Bidvest’s World of Yamaha will change the way in which you look at other showrooms in the future – it’s simply not about glass panels and shiny showroom floors anymore; it’s about the entire experience… The Yamaha experience.
Remember, Bidvest’s World of Yamaha is a high class showroom, not a retail outlet.
Bidvest’s World of Yamaha
Address : 19 Eastern Service Road | Eastgate | Marlboro | Johannesburg
Tel : 011 259-7700
Web : www.yamaha.co.za
Written By : Sergio Pereira
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