Lexus Belfast among leading European retailers honoured in the 2026 Kiwami Awards
- Lexus presents Kiwami Awards to its top European retailers in recognitions of excellence in business performance and customer service
- 16 Lexus centres honoured from among more than 300 eligible businesses
- First-time success for Lexus Belfast
- Kiwami Awards reflect Lexus’s commitment to delivering unique omotenashi care and attention to all customers
Across Europe, every Lexus retailer is constantly striving to excel. The achievements of the very best have been rewarded in the 2026 Kiwami Awards, presented by Lexus in recognition of excellence in business performance and customer service.
The 10th year of the annual awards – “Kiwami” being a Japanese word expressing “outstanding excellence” – has seen 16 Lexus Centres honoured, from among more than 300 eligible businesses. They include Lexus Belfast, winning its first Kiwami trophy.
Darren Balhaam, Lexus Belfast Centre Principal, said: “What makes our team in Belfast so special is their refusal to treat customers as mere transactions. We have built our entire operation around genuine hospitality and long-term trust and it’s the loyalty of our guests that makes an honour like this possible. I am lucky to lead a team that treats every service, every handshake and every customer interaction with the exactly the same level of world-class care. Having all their hard work recognised with such a prestigious award has made everyone here feel very proud.”
Lexus Belfast is Northern Ireland’s sole official Lexus Centre, established in 1991. As part of the Charles Hurst Group (owned by Lookers Group), it enjoys a prestige brand location in one of Europe’s largest automotive retail parks. Charles Hurst was founded in Belfast 115 years ago, making it one of the longest-established corporate entities in Northern Ireland.
Andre Schmidt, Head of Lexus Europe, said: “The retailers receiving the Kiwami Awards this year have each consistently delivered outstanding results and an extraordinary Lexus omotenashi guest experience to their customers. This is the result of leadership, teamwork and an unwavering focus on putting the customers at the heart of everything we do.”
Omotenashi is a Lexus core principle, based on the finest traditions of Japanese hospitality where people’s every need is anticipated and catered for. This extends from the comfort, luxury and convenience designed into every Lexus vehicle, to the care and attention given to all customers. It is this commitment to outstanding service quality which differentiates the Lexus brand within the industry. The interaction between dealer and customer is an integral and consistent part of the overall luxury experience.
This year’s awards reached their climax last week in Oxford, a city that is rich in history and culture and respected worldwide as a centre of learning and academic excellence. Representatives from the winning retailers joined Lexus executives for a three-day programme of activities from 31 August to 2 September. Their varied itinerary included craftsmanship skills learning, team challenges on the River Thames and sampling traditional British hospitality. The climax was a graduation-style awards presentation ceremony in the historic surroundings of the University of Oxford’s Brasenose College.
The 16 Kiwami Award winners for 2026: –
Lexus Almaty, Kazakhstan
Lexus Belfast, United Kingdom
Lexus Bergamo, Italy
Lexus Brno, Czech Republic
Lexus Bucharest, Romania
Lexus Castellon, Spain
Lexus Kielce, Poland
Lexus Kraków, Poland
Lexus Kyiv West, Ukraine
Lexus Linköping, Sweden
Lexus Melun, France
Lexus Mühldorf, Germany
Lexus Orléans, France
Lexus Tblisi, Georgia
Lexus Varese, Italy
Lexus Zaragoza, Spain
ENDS
