Dealer news: Group 1 expands in UK, Fisker adds dealerships in Florida & Europe
Group 1 is expanding its presence in the U.K., announcing Monday it has agreed to acquire the car dealerships and related real estate of an Inchcape plc subsidiary for approximately $439 million in cash.
The deal, which must be approved from the Financial Conduct Authority, is expected to close in the third quarter.
The Inchcape U.K. dealerships pulled in revenue of roughly $2.7 billion last year and include 54 locations throughout England and Wales representing Audi, BMW/MINI, Jaguar Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz/smart, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands.
The stores combine to sell approximately 63,500 retail units and 24,000 corporate units annually.
The addition of these dealerships would bump Group 1’s U.K. footprint to 109 stores. Group 1’s combined U.S. and U.K. footprint would be at 256 stores.
“Group 1 has successfully operated in the U.K. since 2007 and we are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to grow in this important market. Inchcape’s brand mix is outstanding,” Group 1 president and CEO Daryl Kenningham said in a news release.
“These new stores complement our geographic footprint in the East and South East of England and enable us to expand into new markets in the Central and North West regions of England and Wales,” Kenningham said. “Inchcape’s exceptional reputation has been built over 50 years in the retail business. We look forward to welcoming our new teammates to the Group 1 family.”
Wolfe adds Montana stores
In other dealer M&A news, Wolfe Automotive Group has acquired Jim Taylor Motors in Fort Benton, Mont., according to a news release from Performance Brokerage Services.
Wolfe Automotive Group includes five dealerships in Alberta and two stores in the U.S.
Jim Taylor Motors, which sells new Ford, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles, will remain at its current location and will be renamed Wolfe Chevrolet GMC of Fort Benton and Wolfe Ford of Fort Benton.
Fisker’s new dealer partners
Elsewhere, Fisker said Monday it has lined up additional dealer partners. The electric vehicle maker had added Fisker Miami, its second partner in Florida and sixth in the U.S.
“Florida is an important EV market for Fisker, so we are excited that we can welcome Fisker Miami to our growing group of dealer partners,” a Fisker spokesperson said in a news release.
Fisker also lined up dealer partners in Hilleord, Denmark, and Innsbruck, Austria. The EV maker now has 12 dealer partners in Europe, located throughout Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland.