Transaction reinforces continued demand for top dealerships in the Southeast’s fastest growing metro; marks Kerrigan Advisors’ 306th dealership and 413th franchise sale since inception and 65th Southern franchise sold since 2024
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kerrigan Advisors, the premier exclusive sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide, represented Atlanta-based Hennessy Automobile Companies in the sale of Hennessy Mazda and Hennessy GMC in Morrow, Georgia to ALM Automotive Group. ALM Automotive Group, owned by Khush Bhatia and headquartered in Atlanta, has operated in Georgia and the Carolinas for nearly two decades. The transaction marks Kerrigan Advisors’ 306th dealership sale and 413th franchise sale since inception, and its 65th franchise sold in the Southern region since 2024.
Since 1964, Hennessy Automobile Companies has been a premier Atlanta family-owned dealership group that operates ten stores representing twelve franchises and eight brands including: Cadillac, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Lexus and Porsche. The group prides itself on its exceptional customer service, which seeks to make every customer a customer for life with the most enjoyable ownership experience possible.
Hennessy Mazda and GMC are situated eight miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, and benefit from a large primary market area in South Atlanta. With the nearest Mazda competitor more than 30 miles away and closest GMC store 18 miles away, the dealerships enjoy a distinct competitive advantage.
“These are two growth-oriented franchises operating in one of the country’s most dynamic metro markets. Kerrigan Advisors was honored to represent the Hennessy family in these divestitures and employ our tremendous knowledge of the Southeastern auto retail market to ensure the sale was a success,” said Ryan Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “Given the Hennessy legacy of exceptional customer service, it was critical that we identify the right buyer who would continue to serve the community and their customers. Congratulations to ALM Automotive and Khush Bhatia on this strategic addition to their growing group.”
“We knew from the start Kerrigan Advisors was uniquely qualified to represent us in this sale given their recent assignment in an adjoining market,” said Peter Hennessy of Hennessy Automobile Companies. “This is the first store we have ever sold and we relied heavily on Kerrigan’s unmatched sell-side expertise to carefully and successfully navigate every step of this transaction. We selected ALM as our buyer given their familiarity with the market and our customer base.”
GMC is the #1 domestic brand for sales growth in 2025, leading all domestic peers, and has earned multiple industry accolades, with the Sierra 1500 named Luxury Truck of the Year and the Canyon named Best Midsize Truck. Mazda is the fastest-growing import brand in the US, with market share gains since 2019 outpacing import competitors. Mazda’s award-winning lineup includes the CX-90 PHEV, named Best Plug-In Hybrid SUV in 2025, and Best SUV Brand in 2024.
The Atlanta metro area, home to 6.4 million people and the third highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation, is the second largest in the Southeast, the fastest-growing metro in the region, and the eighth largest economy in the US. Notable companies headquartered in Atlanta include Delta Airlines, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot and Mercedes-Benz USA. Tremendous population growth over the last two decades is driving robust economic activity, with the region’s economy expanding 43% in six years (versus US growth of 20.5%) to more than $571 billion. The area ranks #1 Best Place to Live by Money, #1 Most Educated City in America by Forbes, and #1 Best City to Start a Career by WalletHub.
“Buyer demand remains high for dealerships in the Southern region, with acquirers continuing to focus on local scale and tuck-in acquisitions as discussed in Kerrigan Advisors’ most recent Blue Sky Report®,” said Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “This transaction is a perfect example of that trend, particularly in high-growth suburbs of major metro markets like Atlanta, a market with strong fundamentals and lasting appeal. We expect to see more consolidation in growth markets in the Southeastern US, given the tremendous buyer demand in this key region.”
Michael Semanie of Semanie Law served as legal counsel to Hennessy. Eric Gregory of Gregory Law LLC served as legal counsel to ALM.
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 $9.5 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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