Brightly lit coloured batons twirled, costumed entertainers balanced on metal stilts and Japanese drums were pounded in a celebration to mark the opening of new homes for Jim Pattison Toyota, Scion and Lexus dealerships in Victoria.

Jim Pattison hammered open the top of a sake barrel in a traditional Japanese Kagami-biraki ceremony to bring good luck.

“This is our newest and largest automobile dealership,” Pattison said at the opening party Wednesday.

“Technology keeps changing all the time so we have the latest and newest technology out there as far as these type of car dealerships go.”

The Jim Pattison Toyota Victoria and Jim Pattison Scion Victoria dealerships are located in a dramatic 68,400-square-foot, four-storey building at 3050 Douglas St. A computerized LED light show highlights vehicles in a “skyway” display tube above the ground-floor showroom with space to display 28 vehicles.

Next door is the new two-storey Jim Pattison Lexus Victoria dealership at 623 Finlayson St. The 8,300-square-foot building showcases new vehicles and features a gleaming black grand piano performing music directed by a computer program.

“This whole facility is certainly a real high-quality operation that we really are very, very pleased with,” Pattison said.

Construction took 14 months. Some days, up to 80 tradespeople were on site. The buildings replace a 41,000-square-foot building across the street where the dealerships used to be located. Bill Harbottle, Jim Pattison Auto Group president, said, “It’s probably the most spectacular store we have ever built.”

Each of the new buildings has a contemporary design and features LED lights and motion-activated lights to reduce power use.

The project reflects continuing investment by Pattison on Vancouver Island. Last year, his Save-On-Foods doubled its holdings on the Island when its parent company Overwaitea Food Group bought seven Safeway locations and one Thrifty Foods store from Sobeys. The sale included University Heights, Sidney, Tillicum Centre, and Fort and Foul Bay in the capital region, plus Safeway locations in Port Alberni, Ladysmith and Duncan, and a Thrifty Foods in Nanaimo. Pattison has also invested in Vancouver Island-based Quality Foods, which has opened one store in Langford and has another planned in View Royal.

Pattison’s broadcast group owns radio stations 100.3 the Q, and the Zone at 91.3 in Victoria, and more stations up-Island. Jim Pattison Volvo stands on the corner of Hillside Avenue and Douglas street.

“We have an important stake in Vancouver Island. After all, we are locals when it comes to British Columbia,” Pattison said.

Self-made billionaire and philanthropist Pattison heads a diverse group of ventures, including packaging, periodical distribution, signage, Ripley Entertainment and seafood.

Forbes pegs Pattison’s worth at $7.3 billion, putting him in third place among the richest people in Canada and ranked 181st worldwide.

Jim Pattison Auto Group has more than 20 retail locations in Western Canada, selling 15 brands.

A total of 128 people are employed at the new Victoria dealerships. That’s up by 12 from the former location, Harbottle said.

In the Toyota building, customers can drive inside through doors that fly open in one and a half seconds to reach a valet and service adviser, he said. Cars are “whisked away” to one of 36 high-tech service bays.

The building is also home to a customer lounge with televisions, armchairs, and a Cook’s Day Off bistro open to the public. Non-profit groups can book the building’s conference room. An automatic car wash and parking are on the top level.

The buildings are opening as auto sales are growing internationally. Overall global vehicles sales are predicted to rise by four per cent over last year, Scotiabank’s Global Auto Report said recently. Low interest rates and stronger labour markets are among factors. This year, Canada and Mexico are expected to beat sales records set in 2014, the report said.

Toyota Canada Inc. reached record sales for January by selling 11,522 Toyota, Scion, and Lexus vehicles, the company said in a statement. In Toyota Canada’s 50 years, 4.6 million vehicles have been sold through 285 dealerships.

– See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/business/at-opening-for-toyota-dealerships-jim-pattison-bangs-drum-for-island-1.1753166#sthash.nDKJFmvP.dpuf