# Group 1 Automotive

> Group 1 Automotive is a Houston-based public automotive retailer that operates dealership clusters in the United States and United Kingdom. It sells new and used vehicles, arranges financing and protection products, services and repairs cars, sells parts, and connects those activities through its AcceleRide digital platform. The company combines local dealership identities with centralized systems, capital allocation, and a high-margin aftersales operation; as of June 2026 it reported 251 dealerships, 312 franchises, 32 collision centers, and 37 represented brands.

- **Founded:** 1995
- **Headquarters:** Houston, United States
- **Founders:** B. B. Hollingsworth Jr. (Founder, first Chairman and CEO), Robert E. "Bob" Howard II (Founding dealer), Sterling B. McCall Jr. (Founding dealer), Charles M. Smith (Founding dealer), Kevin H. Whalen (Founding dealer)
- **Team size:** Approximately 21,000 employees
- **Products:** New vehicle sales and leasing, Used and certified pre-owned vehicles, AcceleRide, Maintenance, repair and parts, Collision repair
- **Notable:** Completed an IPO in October 1997 and grew from founding regional dealership groups into a Fortune 250 retailer., Reported a record $22.6 billion of revenue in 2025., Reached No. 204 on the 2026 Fortune 500.

## Products & services

- **New vehicle sales and leasing** — New cars and light trucks from dozens of manufacturer brands, sold or leased through dealerships and digital channels.
- **Used and certified pre-owned vehicles** — Retail used-vehicle inventory sold in stores and online, plus wholesale disposition through third-party auctions.
- **AcceleRide** — An omnichannel platform for buying, selling or trading vehicles, arranging financing, valuing trades and selecting delivery or pickup.
- **Maintenance, repair and parts** — Warranty and customer-pay maintenance, manufacturer-informed repairs, replacement parts and wholesale parts distribution.
- **Collision repair** — Body and collision services through a network of dedicated centers in the U.S. and U.K.
- **Finance, insurance and service contracts** — Arranges third-party vehicle financing and sells service and insurance products alongside vehicle purchases.
- **Vehicle purchasing** — Acquires cars from consumers through dealerships and the Sell A Ride online flow, including instant offers and pickup options where available.

## Achievements

- Completed an IPO in October 1997 and grew from founding regional dealership groups into a Fortune 250 retailer.
- Reported a record $22.6 billion of revenue in 2025.
- Reached No. 204 on the 2026 Fortune 500.
- Operated 251 dealerships, 312 franchises and 32 collision centers representing 37 brands at June 30, 2026.
- Accumulated approximately $9.4 billion in acquired annual revenue since the beginning of 2021, as reported in August 2026.
- Nearly doubled the scale of its U.K. operation through the 54-dealership Inchcape Retail acquisition completed in 2024.
- Named No. 439 on TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list.
- Built AcceleRide into a nationwide U.S. omnichannel vehicle-buying and selling platform.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Group 1 was named No. 439 on TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list.
- **2026-08** — Dave Kimbell, former CEO of Ulta Beauty, joined the board of directors.
- **2026-07** — The company agreed to acquire 10 Hennessy Automobile dealerships in Atlanta, a pending transaction expected to add about $1.7 billion in annualized revenue.
- **2026-07** — Second-quarter revenue was $5.4 billion; parts and service gross margin was 56.2%, while management cited consumer affordability pressure.
- **2026-06** — The first of three planned Geely franchises opened in the U.K.
- **2026-05** — CFO Daniel McHenry also became President and CEO of the U.K. business.
- **2026-04** — First-quarter U.K. gross profit reached a record $230.6 million, led by double-digit same-store parts-and-service and F&I growth.

## Links

- Website: https://www.group1auto.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/group1automotive
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Group1Auto
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/group1automotive/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Group1Auto

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/group-1-automotive
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-12