A Whole Foods Market at The District at Tustin Legacy was enough for Greg Sieger.
Next month, Sieger plans to open a Massage Envy spa next to the Whole Foods, which Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. operates.
“That location came up and I couldn’t get on it fast enough,” Sieger said.
Whole Foods shoppers are Massage Envy’s target customers—women who have an interest in healthy living, Sieger said.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the location for my business,” he said.
Sieger is opening the spa as a franchisee of Scottsdale-based Massage Envy Franchising LLC.
Whole Foods has been a draw for others, as well.
Jenny Ross opened a 300-square-foot restaurant called The Raw Bar by 118 Degrees inside Whole Foods at the District late last year.
“A lot of our clientele comes to that store,” Ross said.
Ross also has a 118 Degrees restaurant at The Camp in Costa Mesa.
J.C. Clow, an owner of The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar, an upscale restaurant serving California cuisine, also loves the Whole Foods effect.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better neighbor,” he said.
Whole Foods shoppers, who tend to be wealthier, are The Winery’s target diner, he said.
The District’s Mike Garner, regional director for Long Beach-based Vestar Properties Inc.—owner and manager of the mall—said Whole Foods, Costco and Target are among the biggest draws to the mall.
Whole Foods, originally at a smaller location in Tustin, expanded at The District in 2007.
Kia Depot Ranking
Kia Depot of Santa Ana, owned by the Heidler family, ranked No. 7 among Kia dealers nationwide in auto sales for 2009.
For the year, Kia Depot sold about 1,275 new Kias for some $25 million in sales.
“We’ve had a strong year,” said K.C. Heidler, executive vice president of the family business, which includes Santa Ana-based Suzuki Depot and Tom’s Truck Center Inc., which sells and services commercial trucks.
Combined yearly sales for the truck and auto dealerships is $62 million, including sales parts and services.
“There’s business to be had,” Heidler said.
Kia Motors America Inc., which has its U.S. headquarters in Irvine and is part of South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Co., has seen its market share increase in the U.S. for 15 consecutive years, with a big gain in what was a bad year for the industry in 2009.
Its market share doubled to 3.1% last year.
Kia sold 300,063 autos in 2009, a nearly 10% increase compared to 2008.
As a whole, U.S. auto sales were down about 13% in 2009, the biggest decline in 27 years.
It’s uncertain whether Kia will keep its pace once the economy starts picking up.
January was a bit slower for Kia Depot of Santa Ana, Heidler said. But he’s anticipating an increase in sales in the spring and summer.
He plans to do some hiring this year.
Auto Dealer Officers
The Newport Beach-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association has named its officers for 2010.
John Patterson, owner of Tustin Mazda and Huntington Beach Mazda is president. Tim Mullahey, owner of Mullahey Chevrolet in Fullerton and Fullerton Kia, is vice president. George Heidler, owner of Kia Depot, Suzuki Depot and Tom’s Truck Center, is treasurer.
The dealer group represents 120 franchised dealerships in OC. It advocates on behalf of dealers, including proposing legislation. The association also educates its members on sales and marketing, among other topics, and puts out monthly and quarterly reports on new auto registrations, a barometer of sales.
Auto Tech Competition
In other Orange County Automobile Dealers Association news, the association recently held its 17th annual automotive technology competition, which aims to recruit students to be auto mechanics, who are in demand.
Mechanics can make as much as $100,000 annually.
The event, held at Hyundai Motor America’s training center in Fountain Valley, teamed 12 students from local high schools and dealers in a fix-it competition.
The winning team—seniors Ben Hicks and Jonathan Greenhalgh—was from Loara High School in Anaheim. Russ Bacarella is the instructor for the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program at Loara.
The team was sponsored by Toyota of Orange.
Other dealer sponsors included Hardin Honda in Anaheim, Allen Hyundai in Laguna Niguel, Fullerton Kia, Guaranty Chevrolet in Santa Ana and Park Place Lexus in Mission Viejo.
The Loara team now heads to a national competition in New York in April. Loara High School has won the competition for three years in a row.
All of the teams share in scholarships given by the dealers association.
