Group 1 Automotive, Inc. is an international Fortune 500 automotive retailer with automotive dealerships and collision centers in the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil. Group 1 sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges financial services, provides maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts. As of 2019, the company employs over 15,000 people globally. The company is led by former Ford Motor Company executives, CEO Earl J. Hesterberg and CFO John C. Rickel.
History
Group 1 was founded as a public corporation in 1997 with B. B. Hollingsworth as Chairman and CEO. The founding dealership owners were Bob Howard of Oklahoma City, Sterling McCall, Kevin Whalen of Houston, and Charles Smith of Beaumont. Subsequent acquisitions in the US include the Gene Messer Automotive Group, Maxwell Auto Group, Ira Motor Group, Bohn Auto Group, Pat Peck Auto Group, and Miller Automotive Group. 2018 acquisitions included two dealerships in El Paso and on 1 March 2018, 5 Mercedes-Benz and 3 Smart dealerships from Robinsons Motor Group. These are based in Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Kings Lynn, Norwich, and Peterborough. Group 1 acquired UK dealers from 2010 to 2017, including: Barons Group, Chandlers Group, Essex Audi Group, Elms Group, Think Ford, Spire Automotive, and the Beadles Group. Group 1 purchased Brazilian automotive firm UAB Motors Participacoes S.A in 2013, renaming the entity as Group 1 Automotive Brazil in 2015. Professional race car driverAndré Ribeiro and his family of dealerships were notable parts of this acquisition. As of 2013, Group 1 became the third largest automotive retailer in the United States, and as of 2018, the company owns 163 dealerships in 15 states across the US, 18 in Brazil, and 60 in the UK. Group 1 also operates 31 collision centers in the US, Brazil, and the UK.
In response to used vehicle retailing trends, the Val-U-Line brand was created in Q1 2018 to retail older vehicles with benefits like a 3-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 June 2019 the company created AcceleRide, a digital retailing platform allowing customers to purchase a new or used vehicle 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 and grade school education. Employees regularly make brown bag lunches to support Kids' Meals and donated cargo vans for their Meals on Wheels deliveries. The company partnered with SEARCH Homeless Services and Junior Achievement of South East Texas for events, classroom mentoring and the JA Company Program in Spring Branch ISD. Starting in November 2017, Group 1 partnered with the Houston Independent School District to reward their Teacher 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, closely followed by Hurricane Rita. 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, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, and Hurricane Michael also marked the need for the Group 1 Foundation to assist their employees.
