Germain Automotive Group buys Honda store in Arizona, 3 other dealerships in 2021

Germain Automotive Group, of Columbus, Ohio, has entered Arizona with the purchase of Surprise Honda, one of four dealership acquisitions for the group this year.

Germain bought the store northwest of Phoenix on Oct. 18 from Bill Piercey and Tom Chadwell, said Bill Scrivner, who along with Mike Sims of Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions, a buy-sell firm in Frisco, Texas, represented the buyer in the transaction. Piercey and Chadwell in August sold Rock Honda in Fontana, Calif., to Lithia Motors Inc.

Germain renamed the store Germain Honda of Surprise. The acquisition marks the group's sixth Honda dealership.

"We've been looking in that market for a long time trying to find a point of entry," Germain COO John Malishenko told Automotive News, adding that CEO Steve Germain has a home in the area.

The Arizona acquisition wasn't the only dealership purchase last month for Germain.

On Oct. 6, it bought College Hills Honda in Wooster, Ohio, from dealer Bob Bressi. Malishenko said the store, renamed Germain Honda of College Hills, includes an attractive online parts business. Gary Russo of Team Russo was the broker in that deal.

In March, Germain bought from dealer Dan Hemm a Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac dealership and a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-Fiat dealership. Both stores are in Sidney, Ohio, northwest of Columbus. Many brands were new for the group.

"With that acquisition, we cover about 85 percent of the industry right now," Malishenko said. "That was sort of our goal."

After the March acquisition, Germain gave the Cadillac franchise in Sidney back to General Motors, Malishenko said.

Germain now has 18 rooftops in Ohio; Naples, Fla.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Surprise, Ariz.

Malishenko said the group continues to look for expansion and regional growth opportunities, including in southwest Florida and central Ohio.

He said moving into Surprise was a strategic play for the group, as the area is growing. And by gaining a foothold in the region, there "may be growth opportunities in that market over time," he said.

Germain ranks No. 81 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 11,365 new vehicles last year.