Bavaria Norway Acquires the Remaining Shares in Bavaria Molde

In 2019, Bavaria Norway took over the majority stake of Bavaria Molde through the acquisition of the BMW and the MINI businesses Brages Bil and Brages Molde. The company now completes the acquisition of the remaining stake from the minority shareholder, becoming the sole owner of Bavaria Molde with its two dealerships in Molde and Kristiansund.

From the very beginning, Bavaria Molde has built up a solid position i the region of Nordmøre and Romsdal. With its 36 employees in Molde and Kristiansund, the company sells approximately 1.000 new and used BMWs and MINIs a year. In 2020, Bavaria Molde was named "BMW Dealer of the Year" by BMW Norway, awarded on the basis of service, sales and customer satisfaction. It is the General Manager of Bavaria Molde, Bent Erik Heimen, who is now selling his minority stake to the parent company.

Heimen will continue in his role as GM, and believes that the acquisition will strengthen the dealership renowned in the region for excellent BMW expertise and genuine passion for the brand.

- We are very happy to have a strong and forward-looking owner who is willing to invest in our company. It increases our competitiveness in a fast-changing industry. Our dedicated employees have through fantastic effort continued to deliver great results in Molde and Kristiansund. They have laid a strong foundation for a success story that we will continue to write fueled by  Bavaria and Hedin. The same dedicated, professional team will continue to create unique customer experiences for new and existing BMW owners in the region, comments Heimen.

Secures the customer experience

The automotive industry is undergoing major transformations, and customers are placing higher and higher demands on service and competence. Bavaria wants to be in the driver's seat in the development, and has a proven ability and desire to take the customer experience to the next level.

- Bavaria Molde is a solid company with a clear customer focus that has delivered strong results over time. We will continue to be a great and developing workplace for our skilled employees in Molde and Kristiansund under the strong leadership of Bent Erik, says Hallvard Vikeså, CEO of Bavaria Norway.

Bavaria has been a BMW dealer since 1996, and has played a central role in Norwegian automotive history. From being a single dealership in Stavanger, the company today is a significant partner for BMW in Europe with more than 1,050 employees in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The company is part of Norwegian Hedin Automotive; a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swedish giant Hedin Mobility Group headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.

- We have experienced fantastic growth with our BMW business in Europe in recent years, among other through the acquisitions in Switzerland. To accelerate our international development in a fast-changing industry, we rely on unlocking efficiencies and gaining economies of scale. Our size, our willingness and ability to invest, and our committed and skilled organisation strengthen our position for the future. We are constantly looking for opportunities for further growth, says Marcus Larsson, CEO of Hedin Automotive.

Nominated for Norway's Best Workplace

Bavaria has since its inception had a clear strategy for culture that forms the basis for the company's decisions and continuous improvements. This was proven in October last year, when Bavaria Norway was certified as a Great Place to Work for the fifth consecutive time. Now the company has also been nominated for the prestigious Norway's Best Workplace-award.

- In Bavaria we strive to be surprisingly different and noticeably better in everything we do. Our culture determines how we work together, solve challenges, think new, and treat our customers. Our people are excellent at what they do. Our job is to make them work well together, unleash the common potential, and inspire them to think new and create unique customer experiences. It allows employees to be themselves, have fun at work, explore, experiment, and make mistakes, says Vikeså.

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. The certification means that the working environment is perceived as good according to a global standard that measures Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride and Camaraderie. As many as 90% of Bavaria's employees said that "All things considered, I think this is a great place to work."

- The excellent Bavaria culture has without a doubt been a major driver in our success, and it will continue to be so in the future. Our ambition is clear: We will be the industry's best employer to attract and retain the best people, and thus get even more satisfied customers. The fact that we are now nominated for Norway's best workplaces is a testament to the great work we are doing, Vikeså concludes.