Germain Automotive Acquires Hatfield Automall

Germain Automotive to Acquire Toyota West, Hatfield Subaru,Hatfield Volkswagen, Hatfield Kia and Hatfield Hyundai

Rick Germain and Sons to Purchase Five Dealerships at Georgesville Auto Mall – Formerly of Sonic Automotive

Columbus, OH

Germain Automotive, owned by Rick Germain, Paul Germain and John Germain, currently comprised of Germain Lexus of Dublin, Germain Lexus of Easton, Germain Nissan of Columbus, Germain Ford of Columbus, Germain Mazda of Columbus and Germain Toyota of Naples will acquire five Sonic Automotive dealerships located in the Georgesville Auto Mall at I-270 and Georgesville Road. Germain will acquire the Hatfield owned real estate, and will own and operate Toyota West, Germain Volkswagen of Columbus (formerly Hatfield Volkswagen), Germain Subaru of Columbus (formerly Hatfield Subaru), Germain Hyundai (formerly Hatfield Hyundai) and Germain Kia of Columbus (formerly Hatfield Kia). Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Germain will assume ownership November 4, 2019.

The former Sonic Automotive dealerships currently employ approximately 300 associates. Of the acquisition, owner Rick Germain said, “We are thrilled to be expanding our product offering by adding five additional automotive brands to our Germain family of dealerships. We are lucky to serve a loyal group of customers, and we are excited to bring our family owned operation to new brands that we do not currently represent in Columbus. The opportunity to acquire five stores and double our volume of business in this market is a very unique opportunity. Central Ohio is growing and we want to be a part of that. Acquiring a group of stores that were previously part of a large publicly traded group affords us the opportunity to learn from one another. We will implement best practices developed at a larger scale while also establishing our family-owned Germain culture that is centered around exceptional customer experience. By bringing those two philosophies together, everyone wins, first and foremost the customer.”

Additionally, Germain said, “In a time when the automotive industry is changing rapidly, we aim to be at the forefront of the evolution. We are working on many exciting enhancements to the buying experience, including the introduction of a tablet based, paperless sales and delivery process solely on an iPad. We are working hard to make the buying experience collaborative and customizable to allow customers to complete a purchase at their own speed and on their own terms.”

About Germain

Founded in 1947, Warren Germain, a retired accountant for Henry Ford, opened a Lincoln franchise in Columbus, Ohio. Warren’s son, Bob Germain Sr. worked with his father at Lincoln, and then with his sons to grow the Germain Motor Company to include 16 locations in several markets. In 2011 the Germain Automotive Partnership was formed, and is now owned and operated by Rick Germain and is comprised of six of the original 16 stores, located in Columbus, Ohio and Naples, Florida.