January 6, 2020 — DealerOn, Inc. is announcing this morning a strategic partnership with private equity firm NexPhase Capital. Brothers Ali and Amir Amirrezvani, who founded the website and digital marketing company in 2004, began talking with NexPhase in early 2019 and closed the deal in November. Over its 15 years, DealerOn has grown into… Continue Reading
January 6, 2020 — Dealer Tire announced this morning it is acquiring Dent Wizard in what is the first big M&A announcement this year. Dealer Tire, which was acquired by Bain Capital in 2018 in a deal rumored to be in the $2.5 billion range, says in a press release the acquisition of Dent Wizard… Continue Reading
November 1, 2019 — Pivotal. That’s probably the best word to describe vendor mergers and acquisitions and investments among automotive retail vendors in 2019. Aggressive roll-up plays, new directions, and evolving industries forming now will reshape the industry over the next five years. In TBR’s Third Quarter Report on Auto Retail Vendor Merger and Acquisition…
September 16, 2019 — CDK Global’s 15-year run as being the exclusive vendor for General Motors’ dealership websites came to an official end last week as the automaker announced an additional three providers to its website program. The move likely will reshape the dealership website landscape over the next couple of years. The new vendors…
July 31, 2019 — Thoma Bravo emerged yesterday as the winning bidder for J.D. Power and Associates. It is the private equity firm’s second automotive-data play since late April when it acquired Autodata Solutions from KKR. Bravo also owns Trader Corp., the leading automotive retail digital company in Canada (it acquired the Montreal-based digital marketing…
July 17, 2019 — New York-based private equity firm CIP Capital is continuing the roll-up strategy it started in 2016 when it acquired four marketing firms — OneCommand, Peak Performance, TimeHighway and DPS (Dealer Product Services) — combining them into a new entity called Affinitiv. CIP Capital is acquiring Clearwater, FL-based AutoLoop and will merge… Continue Reading
May 6, 2019 — Following a three and a half-year stint with Raycom Media, PureCars has been sold to private equity firm Diversis Capital and Stage 1 Ventures, its original investor. Raycom Media acquired the automotive marketing technology firm in October 2015 for more than $125 million. But as part of its January sale to… Continue Reading
May 1, 2019 — Yesterday’s announcement that PE firm Thoma Bravo is acquiring Autodata Solutions from Internet Brands could be Act Two in what may be an ambitious play in automotive. The pending transaction also portends an M&A market that is heating up after a slow first quarter that saw only 11 deals completed, down…
March 25, 2019 — Although sources confirmed to us two weeks ago an acquisition of Cars.com was close, we’re still waiting. But signs are a deal should be announced in the next several days. According to a press release this morning, the process is ongoing and involves “multiple parties.” The biggest indication, though, is that… Continue Reading
March 10, 2019 — An announcement regarding who Cars.com’s new owner will be could be made as early as this week. The company is an attractive play for numerous players — both from a strategic and an investment perspective. Cars announced in January the board had voted at the end of September to retain J.P.…