Asbury Automotive Group today announced plans to acquire Jim Koons Automotive Companies, making it the largest acquisition to be seen in the dealership buy-sell market since 2021. The transaction will incorporate 20 storefronts and six service centers representing 29 different car brands into the Asbury network, which currently consists of 138 retail locations and 32 collision centers.
On this episode of CBT Now, host Jim Fitzpatrick sits down for an exclusive interview with Erin Kerrigan, founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors, the dealership buy-sell firm hired by Jim Koons to oversee the transaction. With an extensive list of successful deals involving some of the biggest names in retail automotive, Kerrigan is frequently called upon to assist successful business owners with the sale or purchase of a dealership. Today, she joins the show to discuss the agreement between Asbury Automotive and Jim Koons Automotive Companies and what it indicates for the rest of the M&A sector.
Key Takeaways
1. Pointing to the scale of the transaction, Kerrigan believes that the Jim Koons Automotive acquisition is evidence of ongoing strength in the dealership buy-sell market, even as the car industry grapples with economic headwinds and inventory shortages.
2. Asbury Automotive’s purchase is one of the largest regional acquisitions the dealership buy-sell market has seen, possibly shedding light on the future of industry consolidation.
3. Kerrigan Advisors has been tracking an increase in dealership buy-sell activity since the start of the year, which is currently approaching record levels as more retailers return to the M&A market.
4. In contradiction to industry-wide fears of declining sales and falling revenues, Kerrigan notes that many publicly traded retailers have seen their earnings for three consecutive quarters.
5. Many retailers are returning to the dealership buy-sell market to make good use of the cash they accrued during the COVID pandemic, which saw per-vehicle profit margins skyrocket across the automotive industry.
"We continue to see private dealers also really use this opportunity with the capital that they've amassed to also grow their enterprises regionally, so it's not just a public game at all." Erin Kerrigan
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