Top 100 retailers ranked on used-car sales: Shift in focus

Zeigler Car Group of Kalamazoo, Mich., substantially improved its utilized-to-new ratio in 2021 outside of the 1-to-1 ratio it posted for 2020, firm President Aaron Zeigler informed Automotive News. Zeigler rose 9 spots to No. 23, retailing 29,604 made use of autos final 12 months vs. 20,920 in 2020 — a 42 percent raise.

Radically increasing utilised-automobile inventory became a position of focus for the group in May 2020, for the duration of the early times of the pandemic, Zeigler mentioned. The aim persisted into 2021 with the chip shortage and constrained new-car or truck provide.

“Almost anything that we realized about the employed-motor vehicle enterprise transformed,” Zeigler stated. “Historically, made use of automobiles have depreciated. All of a sudden, they began appreciating, so they were being going up in worth instead of down more than time.”

In earlier yrs, Zeigler Automotive cleared out made use of automobiles after 60 times in stock, aiming to prevent losses from their depreciation. But all through 2021, as cars rose in value, even just after 90 or 120 days in stock, Zeigler peaceful that 60-working day rule.

The group did not escape the complicated endeavor of finding utilised inventory, on the other hand: It acquired automobiles at auction, sought trade-ins, purchased motor vehicles in bulk and labored out specials with some automakers to buy autos coming off lease.

Obtaining a dealership in Indiana and 4 in Wisconsin in 2021 gave the group a “small little bit of a bump in quantity,” Zeigler explained.

Move A person Automotive Group’s employed-to-new ratio also improved as its stores concentrated on providing applied automobiles. The group based mostly in Fort Walton Seaside, Fla., entered the listing at No. 82, retailing 11,307 made use of autos in 2021, up 54 per cent.

In 2021, the group marketed 1.1 utilized autos for every single new car or truck sold — up from .7 two or 3 several years ago, CEO Fernando Arellano Geddes explained to Automotive Information.

“Overall, the utilised autos permitted us not only to retain the efficiency of the volume but also overcome overall performance as opposed to 2019,” Geddes mentioned. “It can be a vital, important element.”