DULUTH, Ga. –

Asbury Automotive Group’s purchase of Mike Shaw Subaru in Thornton, Colo. marks two firsts for the company.

It is Asbury’s first dealership in Colorado, and it is the company’s first Subaru brand store. The purchase closed on Sept. 30.

Asbury notes that Mike Shaw Subaru, currently with 120 employees, has been in the Denver market for 17 years. Asbury retained all the dealership's employees.

The dealership will keep the name, Mike Shaw Subaru.

“We are very excited about Mike Shaw Subaru,” Asbury Automotive Group president and chief executive officer David Hult said in a news release. “It is a great store with a great team and a great brand, and Denver is a new market for us to develop and grow.”

Hult continued, “This dynamic market presents several opportunities for Asbury, and we are thrilled that our introduction to Colorado is through a highly successful brand and dealership whose reputation for community involvement and environmental consciousness is renowned. We are proud to have Mike Shaw Subaru join our family of dealerships.

“The highly engaged Mike Shaw Subaru Team has built the leading Subaru dealership in the market. My decision to sell Mike Shaw Subaru was not an easy one,” said Mike Shaw Automotive chief executive officer and founder Mike Shaw. “However, we felt confident that Asbury Automotive Group is the right fit culturally and will be good stewards of Mike Shaw Subaru.”

Asbury Automotive Group currently operates 88 dealerships.