By Frank Whitman
Atkins Kroll Inc. is celebrating 110 years of doing business in Guam and at the same time it is looking forward to continued growth both in Guam and in the region. The company, founded in 1914, has held Guam’s Chevrolet franchise since 1921 and the island’s Toyota franchise since 1970.
The auto dealership began its anniversary celebration April 23 by donating a 2024 Toyota Tacoma to the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross followed April 27 by a gala event at Dusit Thani Guam Resort in Tumon.
On April 26, AK President Alex Yap sat down with a small group of Guam reporters to discuss the company’s history and its future. He began by noting some of the company’s more recent achievements.
“A lot of activity has picked up in the last five or six years,” Yap said.
In 2018, AK began importing BMW vehicles and opened its BMW showroom a year later.
In 2021, the company acquired Morrico Equipment, a heavy equipment dealership in Guam and Micronesia, which specializes in new and used heavy equipment sales, rental, and parts, and diesel fuel delivery.
Also in 2021, the company expanded in Palau when it established a Toyota dealership with Surangel & Sons.
In 2022, it acquired the local Avis Budget Payless car rental franchise.
The company is currently in the process of building a $23 million, 3,809-square-meter showroom in Puerto Rico, Saipan.
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The new showroom will replace the current 2,475-square-meter showroom in Oleai for which a 50-year lease is expiring.
The project is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2024 and will sell both Toyota and Lexus vehicles. “That will be the first luxury brand in Saipan,” Yap said.
Yap became AK president in July 2022 and oversees the company’s operations in Guam and Saipan.
The company is continually considering expansion into other Pacific island markets. “We are committed to grow,” Yap said. “We acknowledge that in the Pacific islands there are many markets beside Guam and Saipan.”
AK is well aware of conditions in other Pacific island markets due to Morrico’s heavy equipment business which is active throughout the Pacific, he said.
Yap is optimistic the company’s car rental business will grow as tourism in the region recovers. “Our fleet has doubled since 2022,” he said.
In 1974, AK was acquired by Inchcape, “the leading global automotive distributor operating in more than 40 markets,” according to a release from AK. Inchcape is based in London and employs about 22,000 people worldwide, about 390 of whom are employed by AK.
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During the April 27 gala, the company unveiled new corporate branding, including a new logo. “The branding will bring strong alignment with Inchcape as it expands further in the mobility space,” according to a company release.
"With the support and global presence of our parent company, Inchcape, we are dedicated to expanding our businesses for the future and becoming even better partners to our community,” Yap said in a release. “We will continue to invest in our world-class facilities and our employees while providing our colleagues access to the latest technology and automotive innovations."
Inchcape has no intention of doing away with the Atkins Kroll brand as it “fully acknowledges the brand power of Atkins Kroll,” Yap said. “Atkins Kroll will always be the brand for Guam.”
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