Giguere Auto Wholesalers expands with second lot

Jeff Isabelle (left) and Mark Moore welcome auto buyers to Giguere Auto Wholesalers II, a second location for the Tilton dealership. The new site is the former location of Winner's Circle Auto Sales. Winner's is currently located at 472 Main St. in Tilton.

(David Carkhuff/The Laconia Daily Sun)

By DAVID CARKHUFF/THE LACONIA DAILY SUN

TILTON — A prominent auto dealership on Route 3 is more than doubling its space.

Giguere Auto Wholesalers, 968 Laconia Road, Tilton, is growing and expanding, thanks to a second, new location, 3 miles south, at the former home of Winner's Circle Auto Sales.

Jeff Isabelle and Mark Moore are grooming the second location, also on Laconia Road, Tilton, to meet demand.

"We're doing massive renovations there, a whole fresh new look on the place," Isabelle said.

"We needed room," Isabelle said. "We're out of room. We've been growing for eight, nine years, so we were out of room. It's close. We wanted to stay in the same area, the Tilton area. We've had a lot of success here."

Moore said, "I think it will be great. It's closer to the highway. It gives us some badly needed space. We have done as much as we could do with the size of the lot that we have. It's kind of a natural extension for us."

The first lot probably measures a third of an acre, Isabelle estimated. The second site could hold 80 vehicles, he estimated, more than doubling capacity.

Asked about the proximity of so many other auto dealerships, Isabelle said, "We want all the competition, we love it. These other big dealers, they can't compete with our prices. We're a family-run business, our overhead is so low. We live right here on the property."

Initially, Giguere Auto Wholesalers started small.

"When I came here nine years ago, there were 15 cars on this lot," Isabelle said. The business soon transformed to concentrate on the truck market, selling trucks, four-wheel-drive vehicles and Jeeps, with a full service department and inspection center. Now, it's time to grow without changing the core business.

"We're out of room, that's what it came down to," Isabelle said. "We've gone from a place that had 15 or 20 cars on the lot to now probably 110 vehicles in inventory, and we hope to have 150 vehicles in inventory. We hope to cater to the truck market up here."

Unlike many other dealerships, Giguere Auto Wholesalers displays prices on windshields identical to those listed online and in advertisements, he said. "People really seem to appreciate that because they don't have to play the game. We put our cards on the table."

Saying Giguere Auto Wholesalers doesn't traffic in "gimmicks," Isabelle said. "We don't come to work in a shirt and tie. We're working guys. We wear work boots and we get dirty."

His son, also named Jeff, works at Giguere Auto Wholesalers II, the name given to the new location. Sixteen-year-old son Jeremy works at Giguere Auto Wholesalers. Isabelle's wife, Tara, works with special-needs students in Manchester but comes up to the dealership after hours to help.

Mark Moore's son, Eric, and wife, Mary, also are involved in the business. Bob Rooney, a retired boat salesman, is among a cadre of salespeople.

"Now that we're expanding, we're looking for sales help," Isabelle said.

Moore said the business will be able to service people better, which he called a critical component.

"We're trying to get repeat customers because that's the key to the business," Moore said.

"We do a huge repeat and referral business," Isabelle said, agreeing that positive customer experiences are essential.

He pointed to the review section on cars.com, where the dealership has reviews from New Hampshire customers, ranging from: "This is a small family owned business, who focuses on putting the customer first and doing all they can to make you happy, and to make sure your car buying experience is as smooth as possible" to "This was the easiest and best buying experience I have ever had!"

"The people up here are different people. A handshake means something up here," Isabelle said, comparing the Lakes Region to urban areas in southern New Hampshire.

For more information about Giguere Auto Wholesalers or the new lot, Giguere Auto Wholesalers II, visit http://www.giguereauto.net.