The Swedish group Bilia is continuing its expansion in Luxembourg with the acquisition of the BMW Schmitz dealership in Mersch. With this new operation, the dealership now has four sales outlets--two of which are located in Luxembourg--and more than 340 employees in the Greater Region.

“Following our arrival on the market and the we are pursuing our ambition to be the benchmark for BMW and Mini in the grand duchy,” explains managing director Jean-Michel Callut. “This is a historic step for us, and one that testifies to the confidence that the BMW Group has placed in us to develop our joint potential in Luxembourg.”

The dealership will be integrated gradually. “Of course, we’re not going to change everything overnight,” says Callut. “The staff and regular customers of Garage Schmitz will experience a gradual transition rather than a complete break.” His stated aim is to finalise this new chapter by Autofestival 2025.

It’s a change that is beneficial for both parties, since Cloppenburg Automobilse SE--the former owner of Carlo Schmitz Sàrl--was looking to concentrate on the German market and found a solid buyer in Bilia. The CEO of BMW Group Belux, Alexander W. Wehr, is not unhappy about this: “We are delighted to be able to maintain a strong presence in Luxembourg with a recognised partner like Bilia. We would like to thank the Cloppenburg Group for its work over many years and are confident about the future and the quality of our dealership’s services under its new banner.”

This article was originally published in .