Zeigler Auto Group is strengthening its presence in the Chicago market, while diversifying its portfolio of luxury and American brands.
Most recently, the Kalamazoo, Mich., group bought McCarthy Ford of North Riverside, Ill. -- its second acquisition in the Chicago market this year and the fourth Ford store for the group.
"Chicago is a great market. [McCarthy Ford of North Riverside] was our [12th] acquisition over there in the last nine years," Aaron Zeigler, president of Zeigler Auto Group, told Automotive News. "We're going to continue to grow where it makes sense, and the market is great for that right now."
The store -- purchased from Ray and John LeFevour last month -- was renamed Zeigler Ford of North Riverside. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Zeigler said he plans to upgrade the facility and increase inventories.
In March, Zeigler purchased Grossinger's Buick-GMC-Cadillac dealership in Lincolnwood, Ill., just north of Chicago. The group previously did not sell those brands. The store was one of 10 dealerships in Grossinger Auto Group of Chicago. The rest were sold to AutoCanada Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, in April in a deal that boosted the Canadian public group's annual revenue by $400 million.
Zeigler group cleared $1.1 billion in revenue last year, according to Zeigler, and is on track to pull in $1.3 billion this year.
Zeigler Auto Group has 26 locations in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. It ranks No. 62 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 15,090 new vehicles in 2017.
