A series of Carvana signs recently appeared along Interstate 95 south of Richmond. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Carvana may have abandoned plans for a car-vending tower in Short Pump, but the used-vehicle retailer is making a push for Richmond-area consumers’ attention through a recently installed billboard campaign along both sides of Interstate 95 from south of the city to Petersburg. We counted at least 27 billboards touting an easier way to buy a car.
Carvana operates a Car Vending Machine in Nashville, Tennessee, among other cities. (Photo courtesy Business Wire)
The Phoenix-based company, which promises “delivery to your door” and a seven-day test-drive period, scouted out western Henrico County two years ago as the retailer’s first location in Virginia, but withdrew the $6 million project plans after neighboring property owner complaints about potential light pollution.
Carvana has no current development proposals in Henrico, according to the county Planning Department.
Company spokeswoman Kate Carver says the billboards are part of a larger national campaign, and noted that Carvana has offered "free, as-soon-as-next-day" delivery service to Richmond since June 2016. A Lamar Advertising representative declined to comment on details about the signs, but noted that Carvana has “a very aggressive multimedia campaign in the market.”
According to Lamar’s website, a billboard like the ones featuring Carvana costs $475 to $8,600 over a four-week period. Prices vary based on location, the length of the campaign and the number of billboard locations.
Founded in 2012, Carvana sells cars through an online platform. For customers in Richmond and other “local markets,” Carvana provides free next-day delivery.
Customers can also pick up the vehicles at one of Carvana’s Car Vending Machines in Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. The company also operates smaller physical locations, labeled Carvana Curbside, in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama.
