Nissan will reorganize its sales offices in the U.S. as the automaker adjusts for declining sales and the pandemic.
Nissan Division will close its Mid-Atlantic region office in Herndon, Va., on April 1. The move will follow the shutting of the automaker’s Northwest and Mountain offices in July.
“We’re looking to streamline our operations because we want to become more efficient and agile,” Judy Wheeler, Nissan division vice president of sales and regional operations in the U.S., said Friday. “This is an opportunity for us to do that.”
Nissan Division’s U.S. sales tumbled 38 percent to 597,064 vehicles in the first nine months of the year, in an overall market that fell 18 percent.
But the expansion of remote working in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is also playing a role in Nissan’s decision to shrink it sales office footprint.
“We’ve learned a lot during this pandemic of how you can do business,” Wheeler said. “The reality is our regional offices have been working remotely, and we’re still providing the absolute top level of service.”
Dealers in the Mid-Atlantic region will now be served by Nissan’s Northeast, Midwest and Southeast offices.
The latest consolidation leaves Nissan with five regional offices, which will now receive bigger budgets and more resources, Wheeler said.
“We can make them larger, more robust and a little bit more autonomous,” she said.
Nissan is prioritizing its resources while looking to save money, Nissan National Dealer Advisory Board Chairman Scott Smith said.
“Dealers right-size their business all the time,” said Smith, president of Smith Automotive Group in Atlanta. “Nissan is now right-sizing its retail business.”