Sale of leading domestic brand in high-growth market highlights ongoing buyer demand in the Southern region; transaction represents the 276th dealership sold by Kerrigan Advisors since inception and 70th franchise sold year-to-date
August 13, 2024 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kerrigan Advisors, the premier sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide, represented Atlanta-based Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG) in the sale of Nalley Chevrolet in Union City, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, to ALM Automotive Group. This transaction represents Kerrigan Advisors’ 276th dealership sold since inception and 70th franchise sold year-to-date.
“We were honored to have been chosen to work on this divestiture with Asbury and appreciate the trust they placed in us”Post this
Asbury Automotive Group is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, with $14.8 billion in revenue reported in 2023 derived from 155 dealerships and 37 collision centers, located in 15 states. The Nalley Chevrolet dealership is located in a high-volume auto mall represented by 18 brands in Union City, a southern suburb of Atlanta experiencing strong population growth. The buyer, ALM, was established in 2006 with a focus on providing high quality pre-owned vehicles in Atlanta and has since expanded to fourteen locations around Georgia and South Carolina with seven franchise locations, representing (2) Kia, (2) Hyundai, Nissan, Ford and Stellantis.
“As we continued to look for opportunities to make changes to our portfolio, we knew we wanted to partner again with Kerrigan Advisors on this sale, especially given their deep experience and expertise, both in the buy/sell market and in the Southern region,” said David Hult, CEO, Asbury Automotive Group. “Thank you to all our Nalley Chevrolet employees and customers over the years. We know that Nalley Chevrolet is in good hands with the team at ALM.”
“We were pleased to work again with the very impressive Asbury team in this sale,” said Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “We continue to see robust buyer demand in the South, especially in high growth markets and, with Chevrolet as the top domestic brand, there was high demand for this dealership. Having represented more than 80 franchises sold in the region since 2020, Kerrigan Advisors was well positioned to lead this transaction on behalf of Asbury and are pleased the transaction had such a successful outcome.”
Atlanta is a top growth market in the US and ranks as the #1 “Best Place to Live” by Money Magazine. Atlanta’s economy has grown 32% in just five years, bolstered by the 17 Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, the 3rd largest concentration in the US. Chevrolet ranked #4 for vehicle quality by J.D. Power in 2023, growing sales by 13% in 2023, outpacing other domestic brands including Ford (+7.5%) and CDJR (-1.2%). The brand’s strength is fueled by a high-quality product lineup of trucks and SUVs, which continue to yield strong gross margins.
“We were honored to have been chosen to work on this divestiture with Asbury and appreciate the trust they placed in us,” said Ryan Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. “This transaction underscores the ongoing strength of the buy/sell market for robust franchises in economically thriving areas like Atlanta.”
About Kerrigan Advisors
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 over 275 dealerships representing nearly $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. 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 does not take listings; rather they 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 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®, which 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 monthly The Kerrigan Index™ composed 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 2023 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.
Contacts
Kerrigan Advisors Media Contact:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949-307-1723
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