The store seems full to bursting. And yet. The motorcycles left like hot cakes in 2022. For the second consecutive year, the Kawasaki Toulon dealership was crowned by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer among the first in Europe.
And for good reason, a thousand machines sold last year, after 750 in 2021! “The secret is the reception of customers, which must be pleasant and irreproachable, but also the commercial operations”, confides Jean-Jacques Luisetti, managing director of the SME with seven employees, of which his son, Steven, is president. Because the motorcycle is a bit in the genes of the family. And Kawasaki too. This native of Marseilles had already created in the 80s the mythical Florida Motos store, first in the 13th before the concession was moved to the 6th and then to Saint-Menet in the 11th.
Above all, at the same time, this motorcycle enthusiast since the age of 16 has worked as a technical adviser to the Japanese group. “This consists of testing improvements to the machines during races and then if we find that this improves performance, these modifications are then industrialized in Japan and extended to consumer models”explains the leader who sold his Marseille dealership in 2015 to refocus on his activity as manager of the Kawasaki Racing Team and then as a consultant.
In osmosis with the manufacturer
Before buying the Toulon store, put up for sale at the end of 2020 by the previous owners. “Knowing the group well helped us when there were supply issues last year”adds the director who knows how to use all the tools made available by the manufacturer to build customer loyalty, such as the famous Kawa Tour: the arrival of a semi-trailer loaded with models available for testing for a whole weekend. “The trial/sale completion rate is over 50%”assures the professional.
The Var concession also relies on sophisticated logistics. In addition to the hundred motorcycles still available in the store, 200 are stored in Arles by the service provider Distribike (subsidiary of Jacky Perrenot) which repatriates the motorcycles from Holland where they arrive from the Japanese factories via the port of Le Havre and then transports them to the according to needs, at the rate of three weekly rotations, to the Var.
“Currently, it takes a week for delivery”specifies the dealer who had to incorporate a 10% price increase into his model due to the soaring cost of transport and raw materials.
With a turnover of €8 million in 2022, Kawasaki Toulon can count on an average basket of €8,000. “In the Var, there are two motorcycle circuits: at Le Castellet and at Le Luc, it matters. We are present on the Sunday Ride Classic [qui aura lieu les 6 et 7 mai sur le circuit Paul-Ricard, ndlr] and the Bol d’or with a stand. There is a strong sense of community amongst the riders, word of mouth works.”
And above all, events are a little the hobby of Jean-Jacques Luisetti who also has, to his credit, the activity of consultant on the French Grand Prix of the X-trial World Championship or even the motorcycle show of the Aix-Marseille metropolis. He also dreams of creating such a meeting in the Var, where there are many senior fans of “neo retro” and “big trails” who have come to retire in the sun.