West Herr Automotive Group buys 4 New York dealerships

West Herr Automotive Group Inc. on Monday bought four western New York dealerships selling BMW, Mini, Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from Towne Auto Group, Charles Hardy, director of variable operations for West Herr, told Automotive News.

Towne BMW and Towne Mini, of Williamsville, N.Y., were renamed BMW of Buffalo and Mini of Buffalo, respectively. The former Towne Volkswagen, now West Herr Volkswagen, and Audi Buffalo, retaining its name, are in nearby Bowmansville, N.Y. The cities are east of Buffalo.

The Audi, Mini and Volkswagen brands are first-timers for the West Herr portfolio, the company said. West Herr said it plans in the future to relocate the Mini dealership to a building adjacent to its Acura store in Williamsville.

The group said it expects the four acquired dealerships will sell about 3,800 new- and used-vehicles combined a year.

"We are excited and look forward to carrying on the quality treatment of customers and employees that Frank Downing and his team have established through the years," Scott Bieler, CEO of West Herr, said in a statement.

Downing, president of the family-owned Towne Auto, said in a statement that the move is strategic and will allow his company to focus on operating its stores in western New York, south and west of Buffalo. Towne Auto now has five stores in three New York cities, according to its website.

Last year, West Herr added three stores within a month in the spring.

The company bought a Honda store in Canandaigua, N.Y., from Victory Automotive Group in May. Then, on June 1, West Herr, along with Bethanne Hollis Kaiser, added a Chevrolet store in Rochester, N.Y. The company followed that with the purchase of its first Mazda store in Canandaigua, also in June.

Following Monday's transaction, which also included a collision center in Bowmansville, West Herr said it now owns 39 dealerships in New York.

West Herr, of Orchard Park, N.Y., ranked No. 17 on Automotive News' most recent list of the Top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 31,933 new vehicles in 2021.