Four dealership groups bought single rooftops — some with multiple brands — in deals late in the fourth quarter and in October in the Midwest, West and South.
Here’s a look at the deals involving domestic, import and luxury brands.
Domestic brand growth in Wisconsin for Kayser Automotive
Kayser Automotive Group of Madison, Wis., has purchased a Ford dealership in Sauk City, Wis., adding a sixth dealership to its domestic-brand-only platform.
Kayser on Sept. 30 bought Courtesy Ford of Sauk City from Ray Fregia Jr., also dealer principal of Fregia’s Courtesy Ford of Danville in Illinois.
Kayser plans to build a new facility within two years for the Ford dealership that was renamed Kayser Ford of Sauk City, said Brendan Baxter, Kayser Automotive’s senior vice president.
The Kayser group, owned by the Baxter family and led by brothers Sean, Ryan and Brendan, already has Chevrolet-Buick and Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealerships in Sauk City, located along the Wisconsin River, northwest of Madison.
“The Courtesy acquisition represents a very strategic opportunity to expand our market area in representing Ford Motor Co. in southern Wisconsin, making Kayser’s world-class guest experience more conveniently accessible for tens of thousands of owners, from Madison to Sauk City and beyond,” Kayser Automotive President Sean Baxter said in a statement.
Kayser Automotive launched in 1925 with a Ford store and now employs more than 400 people in Wisconsin.
Randy Wise adds 3 new brands
The Randy Wise Automotive Team on Oct. 12 bought Grand Blanc Motorcars in Michigan, adding new brands Toyota, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to its lineup.
Randy Wise Automotive of Fenton, Mich., bought the store from Dave Isbell, who opened the dealership in 1992, said Chris Wise, vice president of the group named for his father, Randy Wise. Grand Blanc is just south of Flint, Mich.
The dealership has been renamed Randy Wise Motorcars, which consists of BMW of Grand Blanc, Mercedes-Benz of Grand Blanc and Randy Wise Toyota.
“Dave Isbell has established a tremendous group of caring and hardworking employees that put the customer at the center of everything they do,” Chris Wise said in a statement. “We look forward to growing the Randy Wise team with three world-class companies and can’t wait to get going.”
Chris Hunt will remain as general manager of the dealership.
Randy Wise Automotive now has eight locations, including a used-vehicle store.
Faricy Boys add 5 brands in large single-store deal
The Faricy Boys of Colorado Springs, Colo., late last month purchased its third Colorado dealership — a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Ford rooftop in Salida, adding five brands to the group.
The Faricy Boys — third-generation operators Ben Faricy and Paul Faricy — on Sept. 29 bought Town & Country Salida Inc. from Mike Goodart and Matt Brown. Brown remains the store’s general manager.
The store has been renamed Faricy Boys Automotive. The Faricy Boys also have a Chrysler-Jeep dealership in Colorado Springs and a Ford dealership in Cañon City, which it acquired in 2017. Salida is southwest of Denver.
“We’ve been looking for opportunities to expand and this one checked all of the boxes — a loyal staff, new in-demand car brands, a beautiful facility and a thriving community,” Paul Faricy, vice president of The Faricy Boys, said in a statement. “Extending further into southern Colorado is a natural next step for us and Salida is a special place in the heart of the region.”
Goodart, former president of Town & Country Salida and who is retaining other dealerships in Colorado and New Mexico, in a statement said the buyers were “the ideal next generation for our company. They take good care of their people, their customers and the communities in which they do business.”
Windy Automotive adds Nissan store
The Windy Automotive Group Inc. of Colville, Wash., has expanded in Oklahoma with the purchase of Byford Nissan in Elk City.
The dealership had been owned by Randy Byford of the Byford Auto Group. He died at 61 in May 2020, according to his obituary. The store then briefly was owned by Merit Auto Group before Windy Automotive bought it on Sept. 30, Windy Automotive CEO Tony Booth said.
The dealership was renamed Windy Nissan. Booth said he began operations on Oct. 1 with six employees and has grown that to close to 20 and is “still growing daily.”
Windy Automotive now has four dealerships in its portfolio, including two Chevrolet stores in Washington state and a Ford-Lincoln store in Alva, Okla., which Booth acquired last year. Booth said he also is a partner in additional Chevrolet dealerships in Washington state.
Windy Automotive plans to buy two more stores in Oklahoma by the end of the year and in 2022 wants to buy “at least five to seven more dealerships in the state of Oklahoma,” Booth told Automotive News.
“Our group is looking to grow,” he added.