Automotive News (Donna Harris) had an interesting article today about Robert Garf raising private equity money to expand his business.  But I thought the most interesting part of the article was at the end.  Where it discussed a private dealer who sold his Ford dealership to Garf.  Here is the important part:

Last month, Mark Vukovich sold Dewey Ford in Ankeny, Iowa, to Garff Automotive for an undisclosed price. Garff now has four dealerships in the Des Moines market.

Vukovich, 52, says he had planned to get out of auto retailing in a few years. But Ford's declining U.S. market share accelerated his timetable.

"The future of the single-franchise owner in metropolitan areas is dim," Vukovich says. "Consolidators have h ...

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