Octane Outlet expands again, adds two new brands

It’s been a busy year for Octane Outlet of Middletown in Middletown, Ohio.

In June Powersports Business detailed its 98,000 square-foot expansion – an undertaking five years in the making that represented a 5x increase over its former headquarters after its owner renovated a former Target department store.

But now the dealership is expanding again, this time by bringing in both Polaris and Kawasaki to its fleet.

“We’re excited to announce we are now an authorized dealer for both Polaris and Slingshot. Our first units of Slingshots have arrived, as did our first couple of Rangers, and we expect RZRs and ATVs in early February,” said general manager Jeff Martin. “We are also pleased to be adding Kawasaki jet skis to our lineup for 2021.  Our first orders of parts and accessories have arrived and we should see our first skis in early February.”

Since the expansion, the benefits of having a larger space have been numerous, according to Martin.

“One benefit of course has been the additional space we have. It’s helped in so many ways – from being able to display more units (a massive win for us as sometimes it felt as if our customers weren’t aware of all the options we had to offer), to adding more parts and accessories – expanding our offerings of apparel from jackets, boots, shirts to all riding gear,” said Martin. “Our service department was limited to just two techs, but we have expanded to five stations now with more on the way.”

According to Martin, the decision wasn’t a natural progression of needing products to sell after an unprecedented season, but one its owners have had an eye on for years already.

“Expanding from 17,000 to 98,000 [square-feet] created a lot of additional room for products, but unfortunately we have not been able to fill it with the restrictions COVID has placed on most OEMs. It’s not just on the unit side, it’s been tires, helmets and fluids – plus shipping has grown from an average of two days to about seven,” Martin said. “Our owners have been very interested in adding Polaris for quite some time… But with the size restrictions they faced before it just was not possible. With the popularity of Polaris products and their accessories, and now the ability to offer our customers a store that they can compare all major brands under one roof represents a better overall shopping opportunity.”

Octane Outlet is hopeful to have an official grand opening in June.

Has your dealership been expanding to meet new demand? If so, we would love to hear it! Drop a line to NLongworth@PowersportsBusiness.com and let us know what’s going on!