Nictus group gains two car franchises

THE Nictus Group of Companies will effectively increase its share of the General Motors (GM) pie in Namibia today, with its acquisition of two GM franchises from Metje and Ziegler (M&Z) Limited.

Nictus Limited will take over the Mariental and Gobabis GM Franchises. The M&Z Group, according to a statement by Nictus yesterday, decided to dispose of their Mariental and Gobabis dealerships with the aim of focusing on their core motor franchises, namely Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler-Chrysler.Nictus Group Managing Director Nico Tromp said the names of the two dealerships, M&Z Auto Gobabis and M&Z Auto Mariental, would be changed to Gobabis Auto and Mariental Auto.M&Z and Nictus have also agreed that M&Z Commercial Vehicles at Luederitz will act as a GM authorised service centre.According to Tromp, the acquisition of the two new franchises is in line with Nictus’s vision to grow its customer base.With the exception of Walvis Bay and Otjiwarongo, Nictus now owns all GM franchises in Namibia, and is the sole dealer in Chevrolet vehicles.Although better known for its involvement in the carpet and furniture retail and wholesale industries, the Nictus Group is also involved in motoring, as well as financial services and short-term insurance.In 2004, the company acquired 65 per cent of the shareholding in Namibian debt collection company Funteni Collections.Subsidiaries of the Nictus Group include Auas Delta, Decomat and Corporate Guarantee.The M&Z Group, according to a statement by Nictus yesterday, decided to dispose of their Mariental and Gobabis dealerships with the aim of focusing on their core motor franchises, namely Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler-Chrysler.Nictus Group Managing Director Nico Tromp said the names of the two dealerships, M&Z Auto Gobabis and M&Z Auto Mariental, would be changed to Gobabis Auto and Mariental Auto.M&Z and Nictus have also agreed that M&Z Commercial Vehicles at Luederitz will act as a GM authorised service centre.According to Tromp, the acquisition of the two new franchises is in line with Nictus’s vision to grow its customer base.With the exception of Walvis Bay and Otjiwarongo, Nictus now owns all GM franchises in Namibia, and is the sole dealer in Chevrolet vehicles.Although better known for its involvement in the carpet and furniture retail and wholesale industries, the Nictus Group is also involved in motoring, as well as financial services and short-term insurance.In 2004, the company acquired 65 per cent of the shareholding in Namibian debt collection company Funteni Collections. Subsidiaries of the Nictus Group include Auas Delta, Decomat and Corporate Guarantee.