Morrie’s Auto Group made its first acquisition of 2023 and entered a new part of Minnesota with the purchase of a Stellantis store this month.
Morrie’s, of Minnetonka, Minn., west of Minneapolis, on April 3 bought Brandl Motors Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram from longtime owners Joe Sexton and Gary Posch.
The dealership was renamed Morrie’s Little Falls Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram. Little Falls, north of St. Cloud, is now the northern-most Minnesota location in the group’s portfolio, Morrie’s Auto CEO Lance Iserman said.
“They wanted to exit the business, and this is their only store,” Iserman said of the sellers. “We thought it was a great fit for us. Another Chrysler store here in Minnesota. It’s about an hour and a half [drive] north of the Twin Cities, so a bit outside our normal footprint here, but certainly a brand we believe in.”
The acquisition also included two businesses in St. Cloud: a used-vehicle store and a business that provides financing for wheelchair-accessible vehicles nationwide.
“It’s kind of a niche business that they’ve built over many years,” Iserman said. “And it’s kind of exciting for us, and hopefully we can scale that up with the rest of our brands.”
The Little Falls acquisition was Morrie’s first since it bought a Stellantis store and Chevrolet dealership in Minnesota in July, Iserman confirmed.
Iserman said while the group doesn’t have any deals under contract, the group is looking for additional acquisitions.
“We fully expect to have one or two more acquisitions before the end of the year,” Iserman said.
Morrie’s ranks No. 80 on Automotive News‘ most recent list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 11,162 new vehicles in 2022.
Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships expands in Pa.
Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships entered a new market in Pennsylvania with a third-quarter acquisition.
Blaise Alexander on Sept. 28 bought Dean Patterson Chevrolet-Hyundai in Altoona from Dean Patterson Automotive Group, according to Ralph Diodata, CFO of the Blaise Alexander group.
The dealership was renamed Blaise Alexander Chevrolet-Hyundai of Altoona. The acquisition represents Blaise Alexander’s first dealership in Altoona, Diodata said.
Altoona is east of Pittsburgh and southwest of State College.
It marked the group’s first acquisition since it bought a Pennsylvania Stellantis store in October 2021, Diodata confirmed. Blaise Alexander now has 21 dealerships, Diodata said.
Blaise Alexander, of Montoursville, Pa., ranks No. 109 on Automotive News‘ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 7,941 new vehicles in 2022.
