CARY, N.C. -

In an Auto Remarketing interview late last month, Sonic Automotive chief financial officer Heath Byrd was discussing the M&A landscape in auto retail, and said that, “other than shortage of inventory in new, there's probably not a better time in our lifetimes to be in automotive retail.”

He added: “And even (with) the shortage, we've all made more money — including the manufacturer.”

It appears many dealers would agree with the Sonic CFO.

The 2021 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, fielded by Kerrigan Advisors, found that 61% of dealers believe the value of their store/group will increase in the next year, with only 6% anticipating their value will fall.

Furthermore, 94% anticipate continued profitability and 79% believe their profits will increase.

“The ongoing momentum in auto retail is truly extraordinary and underscored by the fact that dealers expect their profits, already up over 150%, to continue to rise,” Erin Kerrigan, who is founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors, said in a news release.

“These survey results offer compelling evidence of the strength of the auto retail business model, despite inventory challenges and electrification risk,” she said. “Dealers have re-engineered their businesses to thrive with modest vehicle supplies and deployed digital technologies to enhance productivity.

“Their bullish perspective on the value of their businesses certainly is a vote of confidence in the sustainability of today’s high profits going into 2022.”

And it’s not just profits they anticipate continuing. Many plan to remain on offense when it comes to the buy-sell space. More than three-quarters of dealers surveyed (77%) plan on buying at least one store in the next year. Just 3% plan to sell at least a store.

That would continue what has been a busy season for dealership buy-sell. Earlier this month,  the aforementioned Sonic made its fourth acquisition of 2021, with other groups in the space just as active.

And willing to invest in expansion.

Asbury Automotive Group announced in late September it had agreed to buy Larry H. Miller Dealerships and Total Care Auto from the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.

The acquisition — which has a $3.2 billion aggregate purchase price that includes roughly $740 million in real estate — would bring one of the country's largest dealership groups and its more than five dozen Western U.S. stores into the Asbury family, along with a service contract and vehicle protection product provider.

“The industry’s focus on expansion is indicative of the scale required to succeed in the current auto retail marketplace and is consistent with today’s high level of M&A activity,” Kerrigan said.

“It also shows dealers are looking to reallocate their profits back into the industry because they believe in its future,” she said. “As more dealers seek to grow than exit, Kerrigan Advisors expects 2021’s seller’s market to persist into 2022, driving valuations even higher next year, consistent with our survey results.”