Helping Dealers Create Value, Solve Problems and Plan Ahead

Leveraging deep industry knowledge to help dealers increase the value of their business.

Consulting Services

Kerrigan Advisors’ consulting team leverages deep auto retail buy/sell transaction experience and our proprietary research, along with decades of expertise in consulting, private equity, finance, accounting, and real estate to advise dealers on their growth strategy with the goal of enhancing future enterprise value. Our consulting practice guides dealership owners, their partners and family members with targeted services unparalleled in the industry.

Who we serve:

  • Growing dealership groups
  • Dealership families assessing the future of their family enterprise
  • Dealer operators and partners

Our Strategic Consulting Services for Dealers

Valuation guidance for acquisitions, partner buyouts, and estate planning:

Kerrigan Advisors is the industry authority on dealership valuation. The firm’s quarterly Blue Sky Report, informed by the firm’s vast experience leading transitions nationwide, tracks blue sky multiples and valuation trends that inform the firm’s robust market valuation assessments. Kerrigan Advisors’ valuation guidance factors in adjusted/normalized dealership earnings, dealership sales and service performance, real estate appraisals & rents, management tenure & capabilities, geography and market demographics, dealer brand & reputation, as well as sales volume rankings and revenue mix.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Prepare market valuation assessments for:
  • Partner buyouts
  • Dealers considering and planning for a long-term sale, including divestitures
  • Growing dealers, including initial investment opportunities for new entrants
  • Dealers considering an acquisition requiring unique analysis (such as dealerships needing relocation, breaking even or losing money)

Annual dealership group valuation assessments and benchmarking:

Kerrigan Advisors guides dealers on methods to maximize the value of their enterprise by performing baseline valuation analysis followed by annual reassessments to track valuation progression through the execution of a growth strategy. These assessments include a robust analysis of each factor impacting group valuation. Dealers use the annual review to make sound strategic decisions for their business and adjust growth strategies and management pay plans to ensure annual valuation accretion.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Produce annual market assessments for dealers to use for strategic growth and estate planning efforts.
  • Prepare baseline market assessments for dealership groups bringing in a new operator totiepay plans to value creation.

Professional presentations and open point proposals:

As an industry thought leader, Kerrigan Advisors assists dealers in developing highly professional, captivating presentations of their businesses to share with lenders, OEM’s and investors for relationship-building purposes and open point proposals. We utilize the most up-to-date industry data, as well as interactive technology to dive into the economics and demographics of a market and prepare digital presentations as well as online interactive exhibitions that are ideal for live presentations to OEMs.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Through a targeted series of workshop-style sessions with dealers and their executive teams, identify group strengths and opportunities to showcase in informational presentations and share with lenders and potential investors.
  • Design and build interactive presentations for dealers pursuing open point opportunities to present live to OEMs in an HTML format.
  • Manage open point proposal processes, including the preparation of detailed presentations, timeline management, and collection and organization of supplemental dealership information needed for  a complete package for OEMs.

Dealership real estate advisory services:

Levering our deep dealership real estate expertise, Kerrigan Advisors reviews and identifies issues to be raised and vetted when acquiring or selling dealership real estate. These services include:

  • Assist in negotiating real estate purchase and lease agreements
  • Assess real estate financing options and negotiate optimal terms
  • Evaluate real estate transaction documents:
  • Appraisals
  • Surveys
  • Environmental studies
  • Zoning documents
  • Title documents
  • Monitor dealership real estate portfolios

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Successful negotiations with landlords of new dealership leases at reduced rents.
  • Provide expert guidance in the negotiation of real estate purchase agreements and property leases.
  • Assess real estate alternatives for optimal growth and expansion of dealership groups, including incremental renovations to current facilities, redevelopment of a mixed-use “auto row”, and relocation to a new campus and the viability, cost and OEM requirements for each alternative.
  • Manage quarterly and annual covenant and financial reporting compliance functions for large portfolios of dealership real estate.

One-day growth strategy workshops for dealers and their executive team:

Kerrigan Advisors facilitates high impact offsite workshops for dealers, their management teams, partners and family members to develop growth strategies and discuss key dealership group valuation drivers. The goal of these day-long workshops is to develop a long-term strategic plan and bring together decision-makers on issues that have the most impact on the business’ future value, including:

  • Acquisition criteria
  • Quality and location of dealership real estate
  • Composition of management bench
  • Shared services strategies
  • Franchise mix
  • Employment practices
  • Management of contingent liabilities

Acquisition & Expansion Strategy to Enhance Group Value

With the most experienced and professional buy/sell advisory team in auto retail, Kerrigan Advisors assists growing dealership groups seeking to:

  • Develop strategic growth plans
  • Identify acquisition opportunities that are accretive to a group’s value
  • Prepare systems and matrices to rank acquisition opportunities relative to a strategic growth plan to streamline deal flow
  • Review LOI and definitive agreement terms and benchmark against Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary terms database
  • Manage buyer financial due diligence, including valuation assessment for an acquisition

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Create strategic growth plans linking dealership groups’ goals, mission, vision, and values to tailored roadmaps for increasing enterprise value
  • Build customized acquisition decision matrices for dealers to target optimal growth opportunities that streamline deal flow and preserve resources
  • Lead buy-side due diligence of identified acquisition opportunities for growing groups including analyzing historical financial statements, building and pressure testing potential earnings, and evaluating key deal points

Valuation Guidance for Acquisitions, Partner Buyouts and Estate Planning

Kerrigan Advisors’ Blue Sky Report, the industry authority on dealership valuation, informs our robust market valuation assessments. Our valuations factor in adjusted, normalized dealership earnings, dealership sales and service performance, real estate appraisals and rents, management tenure and capabilities, geography and market demographics, dealer brand and reputation, as well as sales volume rankings and revenue mix.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Partner buyouts
  • Dealers considering and planning for a long-term sale, including divestitures
  • Growing dealers, including initial investment opportunities for new entrants
  • Dealers considering an acquisition requiring unique analysis (such as dealerships needing relocation or significant performance improvement)

Annual Dealership Group Valuation Assessments and Benchmarking

Kerrigan Advisors guides dealers on methods to maximize the value of their enterprise by performing baseline valuation analyses followed by annual reassessments to track valuation progression through the execution of a growth strategy. These assessments include a robust analysis of each factor impacting group valuation. Dealers use the annual review to make sound strategic decisions for their business and adjust growth strategies and management pay plans.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Produce annual market assessments for dealers to use for strategic growth and estate planning efforts
  • Prepare baseline market assessments for dealership groups bringing in a new operator to tie pay plans to value creation

Professional Presentations and Open Point Proposals

As an industry thought leader, Kerrigan Advisors assists dealers in developing highly professional, captivating presentations of their businesses to share with lenders, OEMs and investors for relationship-building purposes and open point proposals. We utilize the most up-to-date industry data, as well as interactive technology to dive into the economics and demographics of a market and prepare digital presentations and online interactive exhibitions that are ideal for live presentations to OEMs.

Client Engagement Examples:

  • Through a targeted series of workshop-style sessions with dealers and their executive teams, identify group strengths and opportunities to showcase in informational presentations and share with lenders and potential investors
  • Design and build interactive presentations for dealers pursuing open point opportunities to present live to OEMs in an HTML format
  • Manage open point proposal processes, including the preparation of detailed presentations, timeline management, as well as collection and organization of supplemental dealership information needed for a complete package for OEMs

Dealership Real Estate Advisory Services

Levering our deep dealership real estate expertise, Kerrigan Advisors reviews and identifies issues to be raised and vetted when acquiring or selling dealership real estate. These services include:

  • Assist in negotiating real estate purchase and lease agreements
  • Assess real estate financing options and negotiate optimal terms
  • Evaluate real estate transaction documents:
  • Appraisals
  • Surveys
  • Environmental studies
  • Zoning documents
  • Title documents

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Successfully negotiate with landlords on new dealership leases to reduce rents
    • Provide expert guidance in the negotiation of real estate purchase agreements and property leases
    • Assess real estate alternatives for optimal growth and expansion of dealership groups, including incremental renovations to current facilities, redevelopment of a mixed-use “auto row” and relocation to a new campus and the viability, cost and OEM requirements for each alternative
    • Manage quarterly and annual covenant and financial reporting compliance functions for large portfolios of dealership real estate

    One-Day Growth Strategy Workshops for Dealers, Their Families and Executive Teams

    Kerrigan Advisors facilitates high-impact offsite workshops for dealers, their management teams, partners and family members to develop growth strategies and discuss key dealership group valuation drivers. The goal of these day-long workshops is to develop a long-term strategic plan and bring together decision-makers on issues that have the most impact on the business’ future value, including:

    • Acquisition criteria
    • Quality and location of dealership real estate
    • Composition of management bench
    • Shared services strategies
    • Franchise mix
    • Employment practices
    • Management of contingent liabilities

    Acquisition & expansion strategy to enhance group value:

    With the most experienced and professional advisory team in auto retail, Kerrigan Advisors assists growing dealership groups seeking to:

    • Develop strategic growth plans
    • Identify acquisition opportunities that are accretive to a group’s value
    • Prepare systems and matrices to rank acquisition opportunities relative to a strategic growth plan to streamline deal flow
    • Review LOI and definitive agreement terms and benchmark against Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary terms database
    • Manage buyer financial due diligence, including valuation assessment of an acquisition

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Create strategic growth plans linking dealership groups’ goals, mission, vision, and values to tailored roadmaps for increasing enterprise value.
    • Build customized acquisition decision matrices for dealers to target optimal growth opportunities that streamline deal flow and preserve resources.
    • Lead buy-side due diligence of identified acquisition opportunities for growing dealership groups including diagnosing historical financial statements, building and pressure testing potential earnings, and evaluating key deal points that results in price reductions for the buyer and identification of potential issues and risk factors post-acquisition.

    Valuation guidance for acquisitions, partner buyouts, and estate planning:

    Kerrigan Advisors is the industry authority on dealership valuation. The firm’s quarterly Blue Sky Report, informed by the firm’s vast experience leading transitions nationwide, tracks blue sky multiples and valuation trends that inform the firm’s robust market valuation assessments. Kerrigan Advisors’ valuation guidance factors in adjusted/normalized dealership earnings, dealership sales and service performance, real estate appraisals & rents, management tenure & capabilities, geography and market demographics, dealer brand & reputation, as well as sales volume rankings and revenue mix.

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Prepare market valuation assessments for:
    • Partner buyouts
    • Dealers considering and planning for a long-term sale, including divestitures
    • Growing dealers, including initial investment opportunities for new entrants
    • Dealers considering an acquisition requiring unique analysis (such as dealerships needing relocation, breaking even or losing money)

    Annual dealership group valuation assessments and benchmarking:

    Kerrigan Advisors guides dealers on methods to maximize the value of their enterprise by performing baseline valuation analysis followed by annual reassessments to track valuation progression through the execution of a growth strategy. These assessments include a robust analysis of each factor impacting group valuation. Dealers use the annual review to make sound strategic decisions for their business and adjust growth strategies and management pay plans to ensure annual valuation accretion.

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Produce annual market assessments for dealers to use for strategic growth and estate planning efforts.
    • Prepare baseline market assessments for dealership groups bringing in a new operator totiepay plans to value creation.

    Professional presentations and open point proposals:

    As an industry thought leader, Kerrigan Advisors assists dealers in developing highly professional, captivating presentations of their businesses to share with lenders, OEM’s and investors for relationship-building purposes and open point proposals. We utilize the most up-to-date industry data, as well as interactive technology to dive into the economics and demographics of a market and prepare digital presentations as well as online interactive exhibitions that are ideal for live presentations to OEMs.

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Through a targeted series of workshop-style sessions with dealers and their executive teams, identify group strengths and opportunities to showcase in informational presentations and share with lenders and potential investors.
    • Design and build interactive presentations for dealers pursuing open point opportunities to present live to OEMs in an HTML format.
    • Manage open point proposal processes, including the preparation of detailed presentations, timeline management, and collection and organization of supplemental dealership information needed for a complete package for OEMs.

    Dealership real estate advisory services:

    Levering our deep dealership real estate expertise, Kerrigan Advisors reviews and identifies issues to be raised and vetted when acquiring or selling dealership real estate. These services include:

    • Assist in negotiating real estate purchase and lease agreements
    • Assess real estate financing options and negotiate optimal terms
    • Evaluate real estate transaction documents:
    • Appraisals
    • Surveys
    • Environmental studies
    • Zoning documents
    • Title documents
    • Monitor dealership real estate portfolios

    Client Engagement Examples:

    • Successful negotiations with landlords of new dealership leases at reduced rents.
    • Provide expert guidance in the negotiation of real estate purchase agreements and property leases.
    • Assess real estate alternatives for optimal growth and expansion of dealership groups, including incremental renovations to current facilities, redevelopment of a mixed-use “auto row”, and relocation to a new campus and the viability, cost and OEM requirements for each alternative.
    • Manage quarterly and annual covenant and financial reporting compliance functions for large portfolios of dealership real estate.

    One-day growth strategy workshops for dealers and their executive team:

    Kerrigan Advisors facilitates high impact offsite workshops for dealers, their management teams, partners and family members to develop growth strategies and discuss key dealership group valuation drivers. The goal of these day-long workshops is to develop a long-term strategic plan and bring together decision-makers on issues that have the most impact on the business’ future value, including:

    • Acquisition criteria
    • Quality and location of dealership real estate
    • Composition of management bench
    • Shared services strategies
    • Franchise mix
    • Employment practices
    • Management of contingent liabilities

    We look forward to connecting with you.

    Contact us to learn more about Kerrigan Advisors’ consulting services for dealers.
    All of our conversations are 100% confidential.