CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Three Charlottetown car dealerships have a new owner, but for customers and staff, it’s business as usual.
“Those operations are really well established in those markets. (Customers) shouldn’t expect very much in terms of change,” said Kim Day, president and chief operating officer of the Steele Auto Group in Dartmouth, N.S.
On Monday, Discover Kia, Subaru of Charlottetown and Experience Hyundai were sold to the Steele Auto Group by the Morris Automotive Group. Day said there were no changes expected with staffing at the dealerships.
The sides had been discussing the sale for about six months, she said.
“We’ve been keenly interested in entering the Prince Edward Island market, an opportunity presented itself and we took advantage of that opportunity.”
The company is the largest auto dealer in Atlantic Canada.
With the three dealership acquisitions in Charlottetown, Steele now owns 37 dealerships in all four Atlantic Canadian provinces. The company also has more than 1,000 employees and sells more than 27 brands. The dealership brands include Acrua, Audi, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Toyota as well as a Porsche and Jaguar dealership in Halifax.
“We’ve been growing quite significantly here over the last several years,” Day said.
Rob Steele, the company’s CEO, was also the president and CEO of Newcap Radio.
Penny Walsh-McGuire, CEO of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, noted that the three dealerships are an important part of the city’s and province’s retail and business landscape. She added that it’s great to see the Steele Group coming to the Island.
“It’s very encouraging to see an Atlantic Canadian business investing in Prince Edward Island. The Steele Group certainly has a strong footprint in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Great to see them investing here, and it’s great to see the dealerships continuing to operate here on P.E.I.” she said.
Pat Morris, president of the Morris Automotive Group, declined to comment at this time on the sale.
Steele Auto Group
- The Dartmouth, N.S., company is the largest auto dealer in Atlantic Canada. It started out with one dealership in Halifax – Steele Chrysler.
- With Monday’s acquisition of three dealerships in Charlottetown – Discover Kia, Subaru and Experience Hyundai – from Pat Morris and the Morris Automotive Group, Steele now has 37 dealerships in all four Atlantic provinces.
- The company’s CEO, Rob Steele, was previously the president and CEO of Newcap Radio.
