Mercedes-Benz, Ford-Lincoln, Chevy and Stellantis dealerships change hands in 4 deals

Ciocca continues to grow with Lawrenceville, N.J., acquisition

Ciocca Dealerships on July 25 bought Lawrenceville Ford-Lincoln in New Jersey from Anthony Stewart, a spokeswoman for Ciocca confirmed.

The purchase is Ciocca’s fourth Ford dealership and its second Lincoln franchise, according to its website.

The Lawrenceville store was Stewart’s only dealership, Gregg Ciocca, CEO of Ciocca Dealerships, told Automotive News.

The store, renamed Ciocca Ford-Lincoln of Lawrenceville, was enticing because of its location near Ciocca Chevrolet of Princeton in Lawrence Township, N.J., Ciocca said. He plans to build a standalone Lincoln dealership across the street from the newly purchased store to separate the brands.

Ciocca, of Allentown, Pa., has acquired numerous dealerships in 2022, most recently buying six Flemington Car & Truck Country dealerships from Josh Kalafer and Jonathan Kalafer, sons of the late Steve Kalafer.

In June, Ciocca bought a Subaru-Kia store in New Jersey. Gregg Ciocca, who said this year that he wanted to have 50 stores within five years, regards himself as a farmer who plants seeds that will blossom into acquisitions later.

“A lot of these transactions have been in the works for quite a while,” Ciocca said. “It’s a lot of great families that are exiting, and now a lot of them are calling me.”

It’s been a bountiful harvest for Ciocca in the past year-plus. Aside from its recent acquisitions, the group in 2021 bought Atlantic City, N.J., dealerships including what was then the highest-volume Chevrolet Corvette dealership, Kerbeck Corvette.

Ciocca Dealerships ranks No. 83 on Automotive News‘ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 12,080 new vehicles in 2021.

Step One Automotive expands in Alabama

Step One Automotive Group, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., expanded its presence in Alabama with the June 27 purchase of Premiere Chevrolet in Bessemer from Randy Averett, Haskins Jones Jr., Bill Whitehead, Robert Pollard and the estate of Alan Pizzitola, according to Pollard.

The store was renamed Chevrolet Bessemer. Bessemer is southwest of Birmingham, Ala.

Step One has new-vehicle dealership locations across Florida, Georgia and Alabama, according to Bill Sauls of Step One Automotive, dealer principal of Chevrolet Bessemer. Sauls said the acquisition created a great opportunity for Step One.

“We’re trying to expand our geographic footprint and manufacturer brand,” Sauls said. “We didn’t have a Chevy store, and it was a good opportunity. We’re gonna explore more opportunities in the area.”

Sauls said the dealership includes a body shop and is “one of the prettiest properties we have,” with no major renovations planned. Aside from the addition of a general manager, the group made no staff changes.

Pollard was the store’s general manager and Whitehead was dealer principal, according to Pollard. He said Averett, Pizzitola and Haskins Jones Sr. were original owners. Pollard said Jones Jr. inherited his part of the store.

Pizzitola, the founder of Business Interiors Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., and a former University of Alabama football standout, died last year after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 67.

The transaction included a used-vehicle dealership, which was renamed Step One Bessemer. The group already had a used-vehicle store in Andalusia, Ala.

Step One expects to close more transactions this year, Sauls told Automotive News.

Eddie Puente and Gerrick Wilkins of buy-sell firm Dealer Support Network, which has locations in Winnsboro, Texas, and Leeds, Ala., represented the buyers in the transaction.

Step One Automotive ranks No. 100 on Automotive News‘ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 10,335 new vehicles in 2021.