NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. -

For at least the second time this month, a group listed among Auto Remarketing’s top dealership groups for used sales has made a sizable business acquisition.

On Thursday, Kenny Ross Automotive Group announced it has acquired the four-dealership Hamilton Automotive of North Huntingdon, in a deal worth between $8 and $10 million. The news was reported in various news outlets in  the Pittsburgh area.

The deal provides a second Buick franchise for Kenny Ross and adds the GMC truck, Subaru and Mazda brands to the company’s portfolio, the company said.

"When the Hamilton family decided to sell the business, we saw an opportunity to strengthen our company by adding new automobile brands and respected dealerships in this region," said James Ross, president of Kenny Ross Automotive Group. "We expect the new franchises to generate about 15 percent growth immediately, and even more in the coming years."

Kenny Ross ranked 84th on Auto Remarketing’s listings of  The Top 125 Used-Car Dealer Groups in the June 15–30 print edition. These rankings were based on 2011 retail used-vehicle sales. 

The dealer group sold 5,481 retail used units last year and moved 4,301wholesale units. The numbers and rankings of all dealer groups were compiled from the Automotive News Data Center.

Prior to the acquisition of Hamilton Automotive, Kenny Ross had a dealership count of seven, reporting sales of 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles a year. The company employs almost 600 people, and officials said all of Hamilton’s 54 employees will be retained.

The Pittsburgh market has been a hot spot for acquisitions this summer, according to a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

The newspaper said the  #1 Cochran Automotive dealership group earlier this month added five new brands to its portfolio with the addition of Charapp Automotive in Natrona Heights, Pa.

Cochran ranked 114th on the Auto Remarketing Top 125 list in June, with sales of 4,015 used retail sales. The group moved 7,029 wholesale units last year.

That acquisition brought #1 Cochran’s total number of dealerships to 19, representing 15 domestic and import brands, and expanded the company’s reach across the Greater Pittsburgh market, officials noted in a statement.

The Charapp acquisition was the latest in a series of growth initiatives, and was preceded by a May groundbreaking for #1 Cochran’s state-of-the-art Volkswagen showroom in Pittsburgh. The company is also constructing a 40,000-square-foot collision repair facility in Castle Shannon, Pa.

The complete list of The Top 125 Used-Car Dealer Groups can be found in the June 15–30 print issue of Auto Remarketing or through this page.