Hudson Automotive Group closed on its purchase of 10 All Star Automotive Group’s dealerships within a 10-mile radius in the Baton Rouge, La., area. The deal was announced in August.
This is the second-largest acquisition so far this year based on the number of stores trading hands, according to deals tracked in Automotive News’ dealership buy-sell database.
The largest was Asbury Automotive Group Inc.’s $1.45 billion purchase of 33 dealerships from Herb Chambers Cos. in July.
The new-vehicle stores in the transaction include: All Star Toyota of Baton Rouge, All Star Kia of Baton Rouge, All Star Hyundai of Baton Rouge, Genesis of Baton Rouge, All Star Volvo Cars of Baton Rouge, all in Baton Rouge; All Star Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, All Star Ford, All Star Nissan, All Star Kia East, all in Denham Springs; and All Star Ford Prairieville-All Star Lincoln in Prairieville.
Hudson Automotive CEO David Hudson said the stores, which will retain the All Star names, were acquired Nov. 17. An Isuzu dealership, pre-owned store and four collision centers also were part of the deal.
The group plans to close on its purchase of two All Star Chevrolet dealerships in Baton Rouge in the next couple weeks, completing its acquisition of All Star Automotive.
The purchase gives Hudson Automotive its first Genesis and Isuzu dealerships and its first stores in Baton Rouge. The group has been in Louisiana since 2019 when it acquired its Royal Honda store in Metairie, La., a suburb of New Orleans.
Hudson told Automotive News he’s “excited to get into Baton Rouge.”
“The seller was great to work with,” he said. “It’s a great market, and we’ll be trying to bring on staff and grow the business.”
The acquisition will bring about 700 new employees to his group.
Matt McKay founded All Star Automotive in 1987 and in 2017 partnered with the Baton Rouge Community College to open the McKay Automotive Technology Center for service and body repair training.
“This was an important and emotional transaction for our family,” McKay said in a statement. “We are pleased to have found a buyer like Hudson who shares that core value of community involvement and enrichment.”
Kerrigan Advisors, a dealership sell-side advisory firm in Incline Village, Nev., represented All Star Automotive in the deal.
Hudson Automotive, of Charleston, S.C., ranks No. 12 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 48,981 new vehicles in 2024.
Kerrigan Advisors is the leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide. Since its founding in 2014, the firm has led the industry with the sale of more than 300 dealerships generating more than $10 billion in client proceeds, including two of the largest transactions in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group and Leith Automotive to Holman. The firm advises the industry’s leading dealership groups, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and, when the time is right, selling their businesses. Led by a team of veteran industry experts with backgrounds in investment banking, private equity, accounting, finance and real estate, Kerrigan Advisors is the only firm in auto retail exclusively dedicated to sell-side advisory, providing its clients the assurance of a conflict-free approach.
Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report®, the industry authority on dealership buy/sell market trends and valuations and includes Kerrigan Advisors’ signature blue sky charts, multiples and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. To download a preview of the report, click here. The firm also releases The Kerrigan Index™ comprised of the seven publicly traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here. To read the 2024 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, click here. To read the 2025 Kerrigan OEM Survey, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also is the co-author of NADA’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Dealership.
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