World Volkswagen Dealership Coming to Route 37 East

For many years, a staple observation of a cruise down Route 37 in Toms River has been the sight of automobile dealerships of almost every major make on the market. That lineup is due to welcome a new addition to Route 37 East, next to Tiffany’s, in the form of World Volkswagen.

According to Toms River Township Planner Jay Lynch, several of the variance applications that have come before township officials in the prior year have been from Lester Glenn dealers, in addition to ones from Gateway Toyota, Pine Belt Nissan, and this one from Volkswagen.

“It seems car dealers like to be located near each other, for when prospective customers go car shopping. When people go out, they want to come to a place where they can see a lot of cars in one general location,” Lynch said. “Toms River is becoming an attractive area for this particular type of business.”

Lynch said that he had seen a similar pattern of automobile dealerships choosing to be located in a similar area in both Manahawkin and Bucks County, Pa.

“The industry has spawned this trend among many (car) dealers,” Lynch said.

Automobile dealerships are “attractive businesses” which benefit other ones nearby such as restaurants and the like – insomuch that people who come out to look for a car often spend several hours on that task, and they will likely stick around for a meal or other forms of business or entertainment in the area, Lynch said.

“Ratables are stabilized with successful businesses, and car dealers don’t have peak hours like employment centers do. In other words, people aren’t shopping for cars during daily rush hours – they’re usually shopping on their off-hours, so it’s a great use for business that is off peak hours,” Lynch explained.