The Shreveport-based Holmes Auto Family of Dealerships has entered into agreements to sell their six Ark-La-Tex dealerships and name in two separate transactions.
Houston based Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI) will purchase the European luxury stores which consist of Mercedes-Benz of Shreveport, Land Rover Jaguar of Shreveport and Holmes Volvo Cars in Shreveport.
Community Auto Group, a privately held company based out of Baytown, Texas, with dealerships in Lafayette, Louisiana and Baytown, Texas will purchase Holmes Honda in Shreveport and Holmes Honda in Bossier City.
“After 85 storied years in business, it was very important to the Holmes Family that we found the right owners that would continue our tradition of not only providing excellence in sales but service and commitment to our community,” said Mark Johnson, President of Holmes Auto Family, “With Group 1 we found a company with a proven track record of working with luxury dealerships throughout the United States, and with Community Auto Group we found a family run organization that shares our same values along with experience with the Honda brand.”
The Holmes Auto Family has been an economic driver in the Ark-La-Tex since Claude Holmes purchased Allen Ware Pontiac in 1937. In 1969 Holmes acquired Mercedes-Benz and Honda in 1970. In 1987, Claude Holmes’ son David began running the business and sold the Pontiac dealership to further concentrate on Mercedes-Benz and Honda. David Holmes’ son Charlton took over the reins in 1988 and added Volvo in 1993 and Jaguar and Land Rover in 2000 and 2002, respectively. In 2018, The Holmes Auto Family added Holmes Honda in Bossier City.
