Apr
27
RFJ buys Dave Smith Auto
ByParties look to expand Internet-powered brand, spread business model
Dave Smith Auto Group retailed 9,298 new vehicles in 2014 in its two Kellogg, Idaho, dealerships: a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram store and a Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC store.
RFJ Auto Partners Inc., a fast-growing new dealership group backed by private equity, acquired two of the highest-volume stores in the U.S. when it bought Dave Smith Auto Group.
The deal, completed April 20, marks RFJ’s expansion to the Northwest. The Dave Smith stores, in Kellogg, Idaho, will be a base for further growth in that region, said Rick Ford, RFJ’s president. The owners of Dave Smith, led by Ken Smith, now become partners in RFJ and will help the Plano, Texas, dealership group replicate the Dave Smith approach at other RFJ stores going forward…
