October 9, 2014 — Cox Automotive’s investment in AutoMD is continued indication that interest in the dealership service repair sector is growing and represents huge potential for vendors over the next 10 years. Cox Automotive and Federal-Mogul Motorparts announced last night they have made a minority investment in AutoMD, Inc., previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Auto Parts Network,…
August 28, 2014 — Capital Automotive LP, a power broker in the dealership acquisition market, announced today it has been sold to Brookfield Property Partners for $4.283 billion. Based in McLean, VA, Capital Automotive has more than $3.5 billion invested in more than 450 dealerships spread across 37 states. The company provides financing to dealerships looking to…
August 22, 2014 Earlier this week, Search Optics announced it had acquired dealership website firm DigiGo from KPA. DigiGo formerly was called TK CarSites until a name change last January. TK CarSites had 650 dealership clients in late 2011 when it was acquired by KPA. It was never a really a good fit as the…
DealerTrack reported strong second quarter earnings yesterday evening beating estimates on revenue by more than $11 million and earning-per-share by $0.04 giving its stock price a small bump during after-hours trading. Revenue for the quarter came in at $224.8 million — 85% higher than second quarter 2013. DealerTrack executives revised year-end revenue projections from $814.0…
August 21, 2014 — UPDATED: Cox Enterprises announces Cox Automotive — as TBR predicted more than a week ago. Additionally, Manheim announced an acquisition in Brazil, adding to its global footprint. August 9, 2014 — Recently, there have been some intriguing developments in Atlanta at AutoTrader headquarters. Executive Leadership Earlier this week, AutoTrader.com announced it…
Confirming rumors that have persisted since April, Gannett Co. announced this morning that it is paying $1.8 billion to its four partners to acquire the portion of Cars.com it does not already own. Cars.com is owned by Classified Ventures, which is a joint venture between Gannett, A.H Belo Corp., Graham Holdings Co., Tribune Media and McClatchy. Gannett…
DealerTrack yesterday announced the acquisition of ASR Pro, a firm that provides services to the fixed operations department. Although the deal was only for $14 million ($12 million cash, $2 million in stock and another $3 million if future performance levels are met), it sort of is a big deal in that it positions DealerTrack…
June 3, 2014 — Internet Brands, the parent company to CarsDirect.com and AutoData Solutions, was acquired today by the private equity group KKR for $1.1 billion. JMI Equity and Hellman & Friedman have owned Internet Brands since 2010 when they paid $640 million to take the company private. CEO Bob Brisco, who has run the… Continue Reading
Internet Brands, the parent company to CarsDirect.com and AutoData Solutions, was acquired today by the private equity group KKR for $1.1 billion. JMI Equity and Hellman & Friedman have owned Internet Brands since 2010 when they paid $640 million to take the company private. CEO Bob Brisco, who has run the company since the fall…
The story regarding DealerSocket and Vista Equity Partners’ investment in the CRM firm is a bit clearer today but still raises several questions. TBR first broke the story while at the Digital Dealer conference in Atlantic City on May 6th on Twitter reporting that Vista Equity had acquired a majority interest in DealerSocket. A private…