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A preliminary assessment by Houston-based Group 1 Automotive found that employees were able to protect most of the company’s inventory in its Houston and Beaumont, Texas, stores from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey.
Not even another strong performance in U.S. new-vehicle margins, a record quarter in the group's U.K. market, and a profitable quarter in Brazil were enough to offset "extreme weakness" in Group 1's energy price-impacted markets.
For the year, the nation’s third largest dealer group grew its U.S. F&I per-copy average by $129 from the prior year to $1,644. Company officials, however, tell investors and equity research analysts ‘not to model anything higher.’
Margin over volume was the message coming out of Group 1 Automotive during its third-quarter earnings call. The dealer group reported that a sharp decline in unit sales offset improved new-vehicle margins, as well as gains in F&I and parts and service.
The dealer group's U.S. F&I operations increased its per-copy average by $26 to a record $1,564. Including operations in the United Kingdom and Brazil, the group's consolidated average increased 0.7% to $1,385.
Group 1 Automotive's U.S. F&I operations realized a 4% increase in F&I profit per retail unit, with the group's per-copy average settling in at $1,525 in 2015's end-of-year quarter.
While the international dealer group's consolidated per-copy average grew $27 to $1,352 in the third quarter, it's U.S.-based F&I operations saw its per-copy average rise $65 to $1,515. For the first nine months of 2015, the group's per-copy average is $1,529.
The international dealer group’s U.S. F&I operations grew its F&I per-copy average $80 from a year ago to a record $1,538. Training and execution were the drivers, officials said.
Consolidating its lender base and improved availability of consumer financing were other reasons cited for the fourth-quarter performance of the group’s U.S.-based F&I operations.
The dealer group’s U.S. F&I operations raised its per-copy average $91 to $1,442 in the second quarter. On a year-to-date basis, the group's per-copy average rose $128 from a year ago to $1,499.