By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – An auto sales group with a location in Normal has been sold.
AutoCanada announced Thursday it reached agreement to buy the Grossinger Auto Group for $86 million. Grossinger operates an auto mall with six luxury and premium brands on Fort Jesse Road in Normal in addition to eight dealerships in the Chicago area.
A release says most of the dealerships will continue to operate under the Grossinger name, and all current staff will be encouraged to remain. Grossinger employs about 700 people at its nine locations.
AutoCanada vice president of marketing and brand strategy Susan Dioszeghy said the dealership will retain the Grossinger name, and all current staff will be encouraged to remain. Grossinger employs about 700 people at its nine locations. She adds the naming rights agreement with Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington will continue.
“My business partner and co-president of the Grossinger Auto Group, Gary and I have always had tremendous passion for our business and a deep appreciation for our outstanding personnel and loyal customers,” Grossinger Auto Group co-president Caroline Grossinger said in a release. “Once we decided to sell our business we needed to ensure we found a purchaser who was aligned with our priorities of providing employee security, continuity of our community relationships, and our focus on the customer experience. We were able to find those priorities within the AutoCanada team.”
The companies say the Grossinger family has operated the auto group for 90 years with 2017 revenue of 401 million dollars. The sale is expected to close during the second quarter of 2018.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].