A New Champion, Frontline Fundamentals, Pop-up Brand Play by Chick-fil-A

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Welcome to another wonderful week in Retail Auto as we talk about the new leader among publicly traded Auto Dealers. We also talk about some very sage wisdom coming from Dealership front lines, as well as a notable brand activation we can all learn from. 

• It’s official, we have a new frontrunner as Lithia has officially overtaken AutoNation, who has held the #1 position since 1997, as the largest publicly held Auto Dealer
  • Lithia’s new vehicle sales rose 4.2% last year as they retailed 271,596 new vehicles…40k more than AutoNation who’s sales dropped 12% over the same period
  • Lithia’s climb to the top was strategic and steady
    • Broke into the top 10 in 1999
    • Hovered between 8 and 9 from 2000-2014 
    • Acquired their first store, DCH Group in 2014
    • No. 5 in 2015, No. 4 in 2016 and No. 3 in 2018
    • Passed Penske for the No. 2 spot in 2021
    • CEO Bryan DeBoer played pinball with Paul in January 2022 at the Auto Team America Buy/Sell Summit at NADA
    • Claimed the No. 1 spot
  • They had no comment on surpassing AutoNation in the top position
    
    
    
• Key story about fundamentals with Jordan Cox, Digital Marketing Manager at Gates Automotive in Middlebury, IN
  • “A few weeks ago Clint and I were talking and laughing and crying, and we decided to come up with as many Sam-isms as we could. Clint and Sam both grew up on farms, so they would pull out great little farm sayings from time to time, and one of my favorites was, "We ain't farming half as good as we already know how." 
  • "Lately, I've been thinking of that in terms of knowing how to treat people. We already know how to talk to people, how to help people, and how to help them move toward what they want. "

• Chick-fil-A is being, well, themselves as they open “The Brake Room,” a storefront pop-up in Manhattan’s upper east side, where food delivery gig workers for services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash can take a break between deliveries.
  • Open Monday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. to food delivery workers showing proof of a delivery within the past week
  • Access to bathrooms, beverages, bike storage, outlets for phone chargers, a variety of seating and Wi-Fi
  • NYC Mayor Eric Adams in October announced an initiative to convert empty spaces like vacant newsstands into rest areas for delivery workers
  • “The Brake Room” concept will remain open through April 13.

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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