Mills Automotive buys Bentley, Jaguar-Land Rover and Honda dealerships in 3 deals

Mills Automotive Group, which made a three-store acquisition last year, has remained in expansion mode in 2022, buying another three dealerships since March, including a rare Bentley store.

Mills Automotive is led by CEO Damian Mills, now chairman of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers.

Mills Automotive, of Charlotte, N.C., bought Jaguar-Land Rover Columbia in South Carolina from auto retail giant AutoNation Inc. on July 18, a JLR spokesman confirmed. The dealership's name remains. Columbia is South Carolina's capital.

AutoNation acquired the dealership in September 2021 as part of its 11-store purchase from Peacock Automotive Group. AutoNation of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ranks No. 1 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 262,403 new vehicles last year.

The acquisition expands Mills' presence in South Carolina. It also has Stellantis, Alfa Romeo-Maserati and Ford-Lincoln stores in the state, according to its website.

A month before the Jaguar-Land Rover dealership acquisition, Mills Automotive acquired a rare Bentley dealership.

Mills Automotive on June 13 bought Bentley High Point in North Carolina from Geoff Eade, according to DCG Acquisitions, a Dave Cantin Group company. Robert Turbyfill, a managing director of DCG Acquisitions, represented Mills in that transaction.

The dealership's name remains. High Point is southeast of Winston-Salem and southwest of Greensboro, N.C.

On Jan. 1, there were just 48 Bentley franchises in the U.S., according to Automotive News' annual dealership census.

In addition to Bentley, Mills Automotive has Stellantis, Ford-Lincoln, Ford, Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen stores in North Carolina, according to its website.

This year's acquisitions also included a Honda dealership in Louisiana.

Mills Automotive on March 28 acquired Superior Honda in Harvey, La., from the Holcomb family, a Honda spokeswoman confirmed. The dealership was renamed Honda of Harvey. Harvey is south of New Orleans, just across the Mississippi River.

The 2022 acquisitions follow Mills Automotive's August 2021 purchase of Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Hyundai-Genesis dealerships in Hampton, Va., from Tysinger Motor Co.

Mills is a 2021 Automotive News All-Star, Automotive News Notable Champions of Diversity honoree in 2021, and 2013 Automotive News 40 Under 40 honoree.

NAMAD has said Mills Automotive is the largest Black-owned dealership group in the U.S. owned by a single principal.