(L-R) Palwinder Singh, Thungbemo Murry, Vaibhav Saraf and others at the inaugural programme in Dimapur on March 25. (Morung Photo)
Dimapur: ‘Ours’, a new building that will house Nagaland’s first ‘Bridgestone Super Select’ Concept Store and a ‘Speed Car Wash’ under the ‘Computech Mobile Shed’ was inaugurated here today at Duncan Basti. The programme saw the inauguration of the sparkling new structure by AY Odyuo, Rtd. Director, Social Welfare (Nagaland), with the Concept Store being inaugurated by Vaibhav Saraf, General Manager at one of the segments of Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
The Bridgestone tyre store itself was launched in Nagaland in 1996 by proprietor/owner of the local enterprise, Thungbemo Murry. In 2003, it was upgraded to the Bridgestone Performance Club, further to a Bridgestone Select store in 2008, and now finds itself in its new avatar, alongside 40 other such stores in India, as a Super Select Concept Store. This, however, is the first time anywhere in India that such a Bridgestone store will work in tandem with a Speed Car Wash.
“The Concept Store will provide services with three key values: eco-friendliness, safety and reliability,” informed Saraf, speaking at the inaugural programme. Bridgestone, claimed Saraf, is the current “number 1 brand” for the passenger cars retail sector in India (for tyres). It has two manufacturing facilities in India in Indore and Pune, and launched the idea of the Concept Store in May 2011. The first of its kind in North East India was launched in Tezpur, Assam, in 2013. The one in Dimapur (Nagaland) at the ‘Ours’ building in Duncan Basti (ADC Court Junction) will be the second.
The ‘Speed Car Wash’, on the other hand, will be a complete first for the North East of India. “The concept of a Speed Car Wash was launched 3 years back in Delhi,” said Palwinder Singh, Zonal Manager of the enterprise. Keeping with Bridgestone’s claim to “eco-friendliness,” this car wash will use minimal water (100-150 litres per wash as opposed to the generally used 300 litres) and be done with washing your car in about 20 minutes, informed Singh. The franchise in Nagaland will be one among 39 others across the country.
Murry, trained as an engineer, said that trust is at the core of the services they provide to their customers, and their cars. “We have experienced technicians working here for 15 years who provide top services, as available at our store,” noted Murry. Amidst various challenges to local entrepreneurship in Nagaland, Murry and his wife, who have already established themselves as independent successful entrepreneurs, plan to expand services available at their building to fitness and music, perhaps, sometime in the future. A good amount of faith was shown in their work by special guests at today’s inaugural programme, which included AY Odyuo, Mongkum Jamir, MD, Symbiosis Creations and a representative from State Bank of India Dimapur.
