Some of the nation’s biggest auto dealer chains are betting in the most direct way that some of the changes in auto retailing since the COVID-19 pandemic are here to stay.
That is, the big chains are buying up other dealerships at a record pace, according to firms that broker dealership mergers and acquisitions.
There’s a widespread expectation among the buyers that high prices and low discounts are the new order of things, driven by a relative scarcity of product, and not just a temporary blip.
That scenario isn’t all bad news for consumers. The big dealership chains are also investing in online retailing in a big way. That’s faster and more convenient for customers, and in the long run, the cost savings for dealerships cutting back on overhead, including in-person staff, may help offset some price increases.
Lower inventory also implies consumers could custom-order features and options, instead of choosing from what happens to be on the dealer lot. The trade-off would be having to wait for delivery, instead of the instant gratification of driving off in a new car the same day.
The point is, the record pace of dealership buyouts shows that the big dealership chains expect dealership profitability to get even better. In a recent dealer survey, 79% of dealer respondents said they expect profits to increase in the next 12 months, said Erin Kerrigan, co-founder of Kerrigan Advisors, Irvine, Calif.
Kerrigan recently predicted a record number of at least 350 dealership transactions nationwide in 2021, representing more than 600 franchises. Through the third quarter, she said transactions in 2021 were up 21% vs. a year ago.
Just this month, Asbury Automotive Group, Duluth, Ga., closed the acquisition of the Larry H. Miller Dealerships group, Sandy Utah, for about $3.1 billion. The deal represents annual revenue of about $5.7 billion. Asbury is based in Duluth, Ga.
Also in December, Sonic Automotive Inc., Charlotte, N.C., closed a $700 million deal to buy RFJ Auto Partners, Inc., Plano, Texas, which represents about $3.2 billion in annualized revenue.
The primary driver behind the rush to buy dealerships is, “the explosive profitability of our industry,” Kerrigan said in a webinar earlier this month, hosted by the American International Automobile Dealers Association. “Today more dealers are making more money they could have ever imagined in a single year.”
Analysts predict the current, crazy-low level of inventory and record high prices we’re experiencing won’t last forever.
Prices are bound to decline from today’s peaks, once automakers solve the ongoing computer chip shortage, and other kinks in the automotive supply chain. The latest predictions on that are late 2022 or into 2023.
But as prices moderate, dealers don’t expect a return to the usual state of affairs in auto retailing, either, where automakers build too many cars and trucks, and too much product chases too few customers.
Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist for Cox Automotive, said in a separate webinar sponsored by the import dealer association earlier this month that automakers are motivated to keep inventory “lean and mean” permanently, or else return to big discounts.
Kerrigan Advisors is the leading exclusive 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 over 280 auto dealerships representing $9 billion in client proceeds, including the third largest transaction in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group. Kerrigan Advisors 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, consulting, accounting, finance and real estate, we not take listings nor do we employ a brokerage model; rather we develop a customized sales approach for each client to achieve their personal and financial goals. In addition to the firm’s sell-side advisory services, Kerrigan Advisors also provides a suite of automobile dealership consulting and investor services including growth strategy, market valuation assessments, capital allocation, transactional due diligence, open point proposals, operational improvement and real estate due diligence.
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 2024 Kerrigan OEM Survey, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also is the co-author of NADA’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Dealership.
Contact us to learn more about Kerrigan Advisors’ sell-side services.
All of our conversations are 100% confidential.
