Group 1 Automotive, Inc. is an international

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automotive retailer with automotive dealerships and collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Group 1 sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges

financial services Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...

, provides maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts. As of 2021, the company employs over 13,000 people globally. The company is led by former

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

executive, CEO Earl J. Hesterberg and CFO Daniel McHenry.

History

Group 1 was founded as a public

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

in 1997 with B. B. Hollingsworth as chairman and CEO. The founding dealership owners were Bob Howard of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Sterling McCall, Kevin Whalen of Houston, and Charles Smith of

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. Subsequent acquisitions in the US include the Gene Messer Automotive Group, Maxwell Auto Group, Ira Motor Group, Bohn Auto Group, Pat Peck Auto Group, Miller Automotive Group among many others. These are based in Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, King's Lynn, Norwich, and Peterborough. In 2021, Group 1 completed its largest acquisition, the Prime Automotive Group, consisting of 28 dealerships in the northeast U.S. Group 1 also acquired dealer groups in the U.K. including: Barons Group, Chandlers Group, Essex Audi Group, Elms Group, Think Ford, Spire Automotive, Robinsons Motor Group, and the Beadles Group. Group 1 purchased the Brazilian automotive dealership group UAB Motors Participacoes S.A. in 2013 and operated as Group 1 Automotive Brazil. Professional race car driver André Ribeiro and his family of dealerships were notable parts of this acquisition. Group 1 divested its Brazilian operations in 2022. As of 2021, Group 1 is ranked as the fourth largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating 202 dealerships and representing brands such as BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, GMC, Nissan, Land Rover, Acura, Buick, Chevrolet, and Lexus among many others. Group 1 also operates 44 collision centers in the U.S. and the U.K.

Locations

In the US, Group 1 Automotive has dealerships in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Their corporate headquarters is in the Memorial City district of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Products and services

In response to used vehicle retailing trends, the Val-U-Line brand was launched in 2018 to offer enhanced benefits for consumers purchasing older, higher mileage vehicles such as a three-day/300 mile return policy and Carfax vehicle history reports. Initial investment impacted forecasts but future earnings were positive, contributing to a 13.9% increase in used vehicle sales for 2018. In 2019, the company created AcceleRide, a digital retailing platform allowing customers to purchase, sell, or arrange service for vehicles online. The platform also provides vehicle financing, trade-in appraisals, and offsite delivery options.

Philanthropy

With individual dealerships engage in local philanthropic efforts often independent from the corporate office, Group 1 supports Houston-area causes focusing on community

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

and grade school education. Employees regularly make brown bag lunches to support Kids' Meals and donated cargo vans for their

Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...

deliveries. The company is partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as the official vehicle sponsor of the Texas MS 150; SEARCH Homeless Services; and

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning ...

of South East Texas for events, classroom mentoring, and the JA Company Program in

Spring Branch ISD Spring Branch Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Hedwig Village, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The district serves portions of western Houston,Morales, Katherine.Residents working to retain superintendent ...

. Starting in November 2017, Group 1 partnered with the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

to reward their

Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

of the Month recipients with a new vehicle to drive for the month.

The Group 1 Foundation

The Group 1 Foundation was initially created to support employees impacted by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, closely followed by

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten L ...

. This tax-exempt charity gives all proceeds to help fellow employees in times of hardship. Examples include supporting survivors of fatal car accidents and a fire at an employee's home. Subsequent natural disasters like the

2013 Moore tornado On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado ravaged through Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, with peak winds estimated at , killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities) and injuring 212 others. The tor ...

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...

, and

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a very powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to ma ...

also marked the need for the Group 1 Foundation to assist their employees.

References

External links

* United States
Group 1 Automotive
*United Kingdom
Group 1 Automotive UK
{{Authority control Auto dealerships of the United States Companies based in Houston Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange American companies established in 1997 Retail companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Texas