Gone in a hurry

Robert Mayer

All that is left on the lot of the Saturn of Berlin dealership are the signs and a note on the door telling customers they have moved to Hartford.

In the space of one night this week, Saturn of Berlin, located at the corner of Webster Square Road and Frontage Road, moved all of its cars and re-located to Saturn of Hartford, leaving the two-plus acre spot vacant.

"They did not give us any prior notice," said Jim Mahoney, Berlin's Economic Development Director. "When we did speak to them, they said they were going to consolidate their two dealerships into one in Hartford. While it is not surprising in these tough economic times, it is regrettable."

Saturn of Berlin has become Saturn of Hartford, according to Jimmy Snyder, President and General Manager of Tony March in Hartford. By moving to Hartford, that dealership now becomes the largest Saturn dealership in the state.

"We have moved some of the people up from Berlin and some others were let go," Snyder said. "It just makes more sense for us with the economy we're in to merge the Berlin store into Hartford.

"We are hearing from our customers that even though they might have bought a car in Berlin, they still came here to Hartford for their service so they like the idea. At the end we felt like we were competing against ourselves."

Snyder said that Tony March owns the building and land at the Berlin location and that it will be put up for sale.

Mahoney added that he had heard the same about the land and that the town had offered to help any displaced workers who were not retained in the move.