This Myrtle Beach car dealership is about to build a nearly $20 million new location
The Myrtle Beach Hyundai dealership has outgrown its U.S. 501 location, and franchise owner Freddie Hyatt is about to begin construction on a new location that he said will cost nearly $20 million.
The automobile dealership will sit on nearly 7 acres at 760 Frontage Road East. The 35,000-square-foot building will be “ultra modern,” Hyatt said.
“We’re ready to roll,” said Hyatt, who lives in Murrells Inlet. “We’ve had some supply issues with steel but we’ve gotten through all that and we’re ready to go.”
Hyatt hopes to open the new location late in 2022.
Hyatt bought the current building and property on U.S. 501 in 1999 from Bob Bible. He said the space near Grissom Parkway no longer meets the dealership’s needs.
“We’ve grown it from selling 150 new Hyundais a year to this year we’re tracking to do roughly 1,200, and of course you’ve got used cars on that, so our customers deserve a nice ultra-modern facility, and we’re glad to get this done for our employees as well,” Hyatt said. “Our service department shop is going to be air-conditioned for our technicians. ... They’re all excited to have a place to come work and be proud of where you’re working.”
The business will potentially grow from its current 45 employees to approximately 80 over the first year of the new location’s operation, according to dealership general manager Robert Wingate.
“We have nurtured this thing from a puppy to a full greyhound,” Hyatt said. “We’ve grown so much and we stock so many vehicles in inventory, we needed 500 parking spaces. Not just for our inventory but for employees, service customers and that.”
Hyatt said he hasn’t decided what he’ll do with the existing dealership property, and is considering selling it, he said.
Hyatt has owned Hyatt Buick GMC in Myrtle Beach since 2001, which is just a few businesses north of the new Hyundai location on Frontage Road East.
He has been in the car business for several decades, and at one time owned nine car dealership franchises in several areas, including those selling Mazda-Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and Daewoo makes and models.
A groundbreaking at the new Myrtle Beach Hyundai location was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The event was expected to include a number of dignitaries and guests, including South Carolina Legislature members Greg Hembree and Russell Fry, several Myrtle Beach City Council members, Shannon Furtick of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, and Coastal Carolina baseball coach Gary Gilmore.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 8:02 AM.
