Mercedes-Benz Newmarket’s transformation demonstrates how premium retailers are evolving from traditional dealerships into experience-driven destinations.

For luxury automotive retailers, the dealership is becoming much more than a place to buy and service vehicles. Increasingly, it is a brand experience centre designed to deepen customer engagement.

Mercedes-Benz Newmarket is embracing that philosophy with the completion of a comprehensive renovation built around the brand’s global MAR20X retail concept. The Newmarket store is one of the first in Canada to adopt the design concept, which reflects where the German automaker believes premium retailing is headed.

“It’s really about putting the product centre stage,” says Brian Fulton, Managing Partner at Mercedes-Benz Newmarket and former President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada.

Unlike traditional dealerships, the new showroom removes many of the visual barriers that have historically defined automotive retail. Sales desks have disappeared from the showroom floor, replaced by digitally-enabled consultation areas where customers can configure vehicles, explore options and review specifications in a relaxed environment.

“The showroom isn’t about desks anymore,” Fulton explains. “It’s about showcasing the vehicles. We have fantastic products, and this design allows them to be the focal point.”

The expanded showroom accommodates up to nine vehicles and includes a dedicated AMG Performance Centre, a distinction held by only a select number of Mercedes-Benz retailers across Canada.

Elevating the AMG experience

The AMG Performance Centre designation brings additional responsibilities and opportunities. The dealership receives access to the full AMG product portfolio while also committing to higher sales expectations and specialized customer support.

“We have dedicated AMG specialists in both sales and service,” Fulton says. “Customers looking specifically for AMG vehicles are working with people who have received specialized AMG training.”

The AMG display itself has been designed as an immersive experience. Customers can not only view the performance models in a dedicated environment, but they can also hear the distinctive soundtracks of various AMG engines through interactive displays.

“It’s meant to engage more than just your eyes,” Fulton says. “Customers can actually experience what different AMG models sound like before they even get behind the wheel.”

Retailing beyond the transaction

The investment extends well beyond the showroom floor. An expanded customer lounge featuring barista stations and premium furnishings is intended to encourage customers to spend time in the dealership, rather than simply wait for service appointments to end.

Fulton describes the overall environment as having more of a boutique luxury feel than a traditional automotive retail space.

That philosophy reflects owner Joe Zanchin’s broader vision across his growing Mercedes-Benz retail group, which now includes multiple locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

“The focus has always been on creating an exceptional customer experience,” Fulton says. “Mr. Zanchin has made a tremendous commitment to the Mercedes-Benz brand and to investing in facilities that reflect that.”

From dealership to destination

Perhaps the biggest shift isn’t the building itself, but how the dealership plans to use it.

Rather than limiting customer interactions to vehicle purchases and service visits, Mercedes-Benz Newmarket intends to host lifestyle-oriented events designed to strengthen relationships with existing owners while introducing new customers to the brand.

On the agenda are Formula One viewing parties for VIP customers, complete with breakfast service in the customer lounge during race weekends.

The dealership is also experimenting with less conventional programming, including wellness events that transform the showroom into a Pilates studio for invited guests and social media influencers.

Future plans include exclusive evening AMG showcase events where customers can experience new performance models in a more intimate setting.

 “We have fantastic products, and this design allows them to be the focal point.”

 – Brian Fulton, Managing Partner, Mercedes-Benz Newmarket

From OEM exec to retailer

For Fulton, the renovation also represents another milestone in a career that has uniquely bridged both sides of the automotive industry.

After serving in senior leadership roles across Canada, the United States, China and Hong Kong, including his role as President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, he joined the Zanchin organization in 2020 following his retirement from Mercedes-Benz.

Looking back, he believes the move into retail has fundamentally changed his perspective.

“There are things you think you understand when you’re on the corporate side,” he says. “But until you’re on the front line every day with customers, technicians and salespeople, you don’t fully appreciate the realities of retail.”

In fact, Fulton believes the experience has made him rethink his years as an OEM executive.

“I’ve often said I would have been a much better CEO at Mercedes-Benz Canada if I’d had the retail experience first,” he adds. “Being on the dealership side gives you a completely different appreciation for what retailers deal with every day.”

While his corporate background provides valuable insight into how manufacturers operate, he now views the relationship between OEMs and retailers through a different lens.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding,” Fulton says. “I love the retail side of the business.”

As Mercedes-Benz rolls out the MAR20X concept across its Canadian dealer network over the coming years, Mercedes-Benz Newmarket offers an early glimpse of what luxury automotive retail may increasingly look like: less transactional, more experiential, and firmly focused on building long-term customer relationships.