The world’s biggest JCB dealership officially opened last week in Ekaterinburg, Russia, after a $9.6 million investment designed to accelerate growth in one of the company’s most important markets.
Stroykomplekt (SKL) is the JCB dealer in Ekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city and home to 1.3 million people. From its base, the company covers a vast area of nearly 2.7 million square miles, and in the past seven years has seen a tenfold increase in sales. SKL’s new facility covers 37,674 square feet and has a showroom for 25 machines as well as a parts and service operation.
JCB CEO Alan Blake, who described Russia as "one of the jewels in the crown of JCB’s global sales regions,” was on hand to officially open the dealership.
“Almost one in four machines sold in Russia is made by JCB,” said Blake. “This success could not have been achieved without excellent dealers — dealers with vision, dealers who are prepared to invest and dealers with ambition. And this is what we have with Stroykomplekt.
“By investing £6 million in new premises, Stroykomplekt has demonstrated not only a commitment to providing excellent service support, but also great ambition to grow their business. The opening of this fantastic new building sets the standard for others to follow.”
JCB sold its first machine in Russia — a backhoe loader — in 1979 as part of the build-up to the Moscow Olympics. Today, the company sells a wide range of other equipment in Russia, including tracked and wheeled excavators, telescopic handlers, mini excavators, wheeled loading shovels and skid-steer loaders.
Across Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, JCB has a network of 70 dealers with another six opening this year.
JCB has 22 plants on four continents: 11 in the United Kingdom, six in India and others in Brazil, the United States, China, Germany, France and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide.
