NEW BRUNSWICK
Century Auto Group successfully expands into Saint John market
Investing into Saint John, New Brunswick, has been an intelligent business move for Century Auto Group, a Nova Scotia-based family-owned dealership group. Century Auto has been in operation for over 46 years, and has just acquired a second store in the capital city of N.B. The first was a Subaru store purchased in 2021, and now it has bought a Hyundai dealership, which is the company’s second Hyundai rooftop.
Century Auto CEO Michael MacGillivray loves the Saint John market, and not just because the small city is friendly and picturesque. The two new stores there have effectively doubled the company’s revenues in the last two years.
So far the new Hyundai store’s transition has been going well, thanks to a strong team that was already in place from the previous ownership. “There’s a great team in place, and they’re all still with us,” said MacGillivray. “The team has been led by Alex Halassy and he’s going to continue to lead it for us. When you bring a new dealership team into the fold and the whole team’s great, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
BRITISH COLUMBIA
OpenRoad and Dilawri join forces to open Destination Porsche in Richmond Auto Mall
BC’s first Porsche Centre following the brand architecture concept, Destination Porsche, has opened in Richmond Auto Mall. Originally announced in 2016, the new flagship location is a partnership between OpenRoad Auto Group and Dilawri Group of Companies.
The 75,000 square foot state-of-the-art dealership features three levels including a spacious new and pre-used vehicle showroom, custom guest amenities, a special delivery area, and 15 cutting-edge service bays. The dealership becomes BC’s first Porsche Centre to follow the brand’s new corporate architecture concept, Destination Porsche, and reflects the brand’s heritage and innovation, and is designed to become a gathering place for the Porsche community.
Porsche Centre Richmond is the second Porsche dealership for both automotive groups. OpenRoad currently has Porsche Centre Langley in the Langley Auto Collection in its portfolio, while Dilawri operates Porsche Centre Vancouver. Porsche Centre Richmond is located at 13171 Smallwood Place in the Richmond Auto Mall.
ONTARIO
AutoCanada Inc. a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, has revealed that it has acquired Sterling Honda located in Hamilton, Ontario.
“We’re excited about the addition of this high-quality dealership, expanding AutoCanada’s footprint in the attractive Hamilton market while adding brand diversity within our overall portfolio,” said Executive Chairman, Paul Antony. “Notably, the acquisition expands our relationship with Honda, bringing a fourth Honda store into our dealership portfolio and represents our fifth dealership in Hamilton. The acquisition will provide growth opportunities as we integrate it with our strong portfolio of dealerships.”
Sterling Honda is a well-established business in the Hamilton community, operating out of a recently re-imaged 27,000 square foot facility with 16 mechanical bays and has a track record of delivering top-tier customer satisfaction. Apart from continuing to strengthen the dealership’s performance, the acquisition unlocks additional growth opportunities, including the potential to expand the dealership’s used to new retail units ratio and drive F&I growth.
QUEBEC
Templeton Marsh Mergers and Acquisitions brokered the sale of four dealerships owned by Le Groupe Lachapelle to Groupe Olivier—a move that could be one of the largest in Quebec’s automotive history, according to Templeton Marsh Co-founder and Managing Partner Samir Akhavan.
“Quebec is a bit of a newcomer to the automotive consolidation business,” said Akhavan. “Things that happened in Ontario or Western Canada three or four years ago are starting to happen in Quebec, in terms of mergers and acquisitions activity.”
Lachapelle has been in business for more than 29 years and operated one of the largest Honda dealerships in Canada. Akhavan said he stayed in touch with Lachapelle, a second-generation dealer, who told him he and his family decided last year it was the right time to sell his dealership group. Lachapelle asked him to be his agent.
The four dealerships are Hamel Honda, Honda Ste-Rose Honda, Mazda de Laval, and Chomedey Toyota. He said in a “regular” year the stores collectively sell 10,000 new and used cars.
NOVA SCOTIA
Veteran N.S. dealer Al MacPhee celebrates 80th birthday, still loves the business
Having just turned 80 and still putting in 60 hours a week at his dealership, Al MacPhee could be nearing the point where he stops working full-time. MacPhee, who has been in the automotive industry for 60 years and will celebrate his 40th year owning and operating a dealership in 2023, said there is a succession plan in place for his son, Andrew, to take over the family-owned MacPhee Ford in Dartmouth, N.S. Andrew is listed as the Dealer Principal.
He has had a celebrated career in the car business beyond just owning a dealership. He is a Past Chairman of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, Past President of the Nova Scotia Dealers Association and Halifax/Dartmouth Dealers Association. He has also served on almost every General Motors Advisory Board and Communication Team.
He is known for his philanthropy, donating all he earns on a yearly basis to charity. He and his wife, Mary, are involved in the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning, a non-profit charitable organization which provides an alternative education model for youth in marginalized and disadvantaged circumstances.
ALBERTA
FortisAlberta and Optiwatt seek EV owners for pilot charging program
FortisAlberta in conjunction with Electric Vehicle smart charging app developer Optiwatt is looking for up to 600 customers who drive an EV to participate in a pilot program.
FortisAlberta, the electricity distributor to more than 240 Alberta communities, is looking to monitor EV owners’ charging habits, data that is essential to understanding and managing increased electricity demands.
The pilot project is the first of its kind in rural Alberta and is approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission. There are about 5,600 EVs registered in Alberta.
Participants in the program will receive incentives to take part. Charging data will be implemented and analyzed over the course of 2023 to understand the impacts of charging on system demand, including how managed charging can limit cost and optimize the grid.
