Sewell buys Iowa's Willis Automotive, adding eight dealerships
What's the deal? The Sewell Family of CompaniesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → is acquiring Willis AutomotiveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → of Des Moines, Iowa, in partnership with the Willis family. Terms were not disclosed. The deal adds six franchises — LexusDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, VolvoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Land RoverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, MINIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, INFINITIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and NissanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — plus Cadillac and Chevrolet dealerships in Des Moines.
Who are they? Sewell has sold Ford vehicles for more than a century, adding Lincoln, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, BMW, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and Kia over the decades. Willis Automotive is a family-owned group founded in 1947 and headquartered in Des Moines.
Why now? The purchase follows the completion of Sewell's new Midland campus, as the Texas-based group continues to expand.
What changes? Not much for customers. Willis Automotive will keep operating under the Willis name with its current team, and Jason Willis stays on as president of the Iowa dealerships and remains an owner alongside the Sewell family.
What they said: "It's a multi-generational, family-owned business with very similar values," said Andrew Marshall, Sewell's vice president of operations. He compared Des Moines to the Permian Basin as a "handshake town," adding that Willis stays on gives "a lot of confidence in the deal."
The signal: The acquisition reflects the steady consolidation of US auto retail, as established family groups expand across state lines by folding in like-minded, multi-generational dealerships rather than disrupting them.
Read more: mrt.com
Image credit: nordique
