Dealers Auto Auction Group has purchased Rea Brothers Mid-South Auction from the Rea family, a move that expands the independent auto auction group into Mississippi.

In late January 2016, the Rea family repurchased Mid-South Auction from the XLerate Group.

Mid-South, originally founded in 1972, had formerly been owned by the Rea family and operated under the name of Rea Brothers Mid-South Auction until being acquired by American Auto Auction Group in 2010. Rea Brothers became a member of the XLerate Group when AAAG rebranded in 2014.

With this latest move, the auction, which is located in Pearl, Miss., will be renamed Dealers Auto Auction of Jackson.  

DAAG’s other locations are in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Mobile, Ala.

“The Rea family built a state of the art facility and assembled a dedicated and hardworking staff.  DAA looks forward to bringing its skills and enthusiasm to take the Jackson, Mississippi location to the next level,” DAAG founder and chief executive officer David Andrews said in a news release.

“This deal will allow more dealers, fleet, and commercial customers in the Southeast to benefit from DAA’s dedication to making the auto purchasing and resale market efficient, friendly, and profitable,” said Andrews, who also is the current president of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association.

John Tidmore will be general manager of DAA Jackson. Tidmore was mostly recently the GM of Dixie Auto Auction in Granada, Miss., and previously was a national account manager at ADESA.

“DAA Jackson will work closely with existing relationships to ensure a seamless transition.  We also look forward to rebuilding connections with those who may be no longer doing business here and developing relationships with dealers who have never experienced the Jackson auction,” Tidmore said. “This is an opportunity for DAA Jackson to bring its national and regional partnerships into the vibrant Mississippi capital community and continue to cultivate this business.”

Scott Keener, DAAG’s regional director of auction operations, added: “We are excited about being in Mississippi and look forward to becoming a part of this community. With John Tidmore as our general manager, we are confident that this transition will be smooth and successful.”

Updated to clarify AAAG/XLerate details. Adds Chattanooga, Tenn., facility of DAAG, as well.