Go Auto plans to continue to grow and the dealership group is interested in acquiring franchises in Western Canada, the dealership group’s president Phil Abram told Auto Remarketing Canada. But it is also eying further expansion in the United States, he said.

“Acquisitions are always challenging to forecast in terms of exact timelines, but I can say that we are always looking for opportunities to grow our business,” he said.

The Edmonton-based group recently acquired Audi Royal Oak in Calgary, Merlin Ford in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Go West Kia in Coquitlam, British Columbia. It now operates 68 dealerships across more than 55 rooftops representing 28 manufacturers, Abram said.

In Canada, it aims to stay primarily in Western Canada as it expands, he said, naming two reasons.

For one, Go Auto’s senior leaders have a “deep understanding” of the markets there, Abram said. Western Canada is generally considered to include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories.

Also, staying in Western Canada allows the group to “provide top performers within our organization more opportunities for advancement and career growth,” Abram said.

Indeed, developing its people is a key element of Go Auto’s strategic growth plan. he said. Before committing to an acquisition opportunity, it considers whether it has the right team in place locally or people willing to relocate to manage the dealership, Abram said.

“Successful integration requires significant support, and we believe pairing senior leaders with new operations is key to maximizing the potential of any acquisition,” he said.

Go Auto doesn’t have a strong preference in acquiring specific brands, Abram said. Rather, it aims to remain diversified. Its current new car franchise mix includes domestic and import luxury brands and domestic and import volume brands.

Adding used and RV dealership locations

Go Auto has four used vehicle dealerships, three in Edmonton and one in Kelowna. It will be opening a new state-of-the-art facility in Country Hills Boulevard in Calgary early next year, Abram said.

The dealership group also has five recreational vehicles dealerships in Western Canada selling everything from tent trailers to Class A mobile homes. It also sells boats. Go Auto is interested in expanding its RV business if opportunities arise in communities it already operates in, Abram said.

While the RV business has “faced challenges” in recent years, he said, “we believe in its rebound potential and are excited to expand our offerings to clients.”

US expansion a natural progression

Go Auto is also interested in the U.S. West Coast, as evidenced by its acquisition in February of 2023 of Mercedes-Benz of Bellingham and Toyota of Bellingham, in western Washington State near the Canadian border.

Abram said it is “actively evaluating” growth opportunities in the U.S, which is appealing because of the larger population base and greater availability of dealerships there.

Expansion into the U.S. is “a natural progression for us,” he said. “We see strong synergies between our customer-first approach and many of the family-owned businesses in the U.S.”