Garmin Ltd. plans to open company-owned offices in Australia, to be known as Garmin Australasia Pty Ltd. The new facility will include a full warehouse, sales, marketing and customer support staff to support dealers and customers in Australia and New Zealand for Garmin's consumer products.


Over the past 17 years, Garmin's Australasian presence has been represented by GME. Both GME and Garmin are working closely together to ensure a seamless transition for both dealers and customers. The transition for Australia is expected to be completed on July 1, 2008. The transition for New Zealand is expected to be completed on January 1, 2009.

“Garmin has enjoyed a long and healthy relationship with GME,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. “In the near future, Garmin representatives will begin making introductory calls to our dealers in Australia and New Zealand to share this exciting news.”


“We are working closely with Garmin to ensure that this is a smooth changeover for both dealers and end users,” said Alan Stehr, executive chairman of GME. “This new arrangement will allow each company to focus its efforts on growing its core business.”


Garmin is presently scouting locations and hiring staff for its new offices, which will be based in the Sydney area. Garmin's aviation structure in Australasia remains unchanged at this time.