Key Takeaways
- • Kerrigan Advisors acted as sell-side advisor to Fields Auto Group in the sale of Fields Mazda and Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (CDJR) of Asheville, North Carolina, to Dobbs Family Automotive, marking the firm's 455th franchise sold since its 2014 founding and its 149th in the South.
- • The transaction is the second announced Kerrigan deal in the Carolinas in 2026, following the Paramount Automotive Foreign Cars Italia sale in Charlotte earlier this year.
- • Dobbs Family Automotive, a Memphis-based, third-generation family dealership group, expands to 14 dealerships across eight states and enters the Asheville market with this acquisition.
- • Fields retains its luxury franchises in Asheville, namely BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover, and is sharpening its focus on luxury stores after divesting the non-luxury points.
- • Kerrigan cites record Southeast share of the national buy/sell market and North Carolina's business climate as drivers of premium franchise valuations, per Senior Vice President Chris Gempton.
Summary
Kerrigan Advisors represented Fields Auto Group, one of the largest privately held dealership groups in the United States, in the sale of Fields Mazda and Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Asheville, North Carolina, to Dobbs Family Automotive, according to a Business Wire release dated October 19, 2026. The transaction is Kerrigan's 455th franchise sale since the firm was founded in 2014 and its 149th in the Southeast, and the second announced Kerrigan transaction in the Carolinas this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Fields Auto Group, which began as a single Cadillac dealership in Evanston, Illinois, in 1971, operates 34 dealerships, 31 of which are luxury franchises, across Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington and North Carolina. The company described the Asheville non-luxury stores as the subject of the sale. According to the release, Fields Mazda is one of the more protected import points in the Southeast, with the nearest competing Mazda dealership more than 60 miles away. Fields CDJR has been the top-selling CDJR dealership in the market for five years and is the only CDJR dealership within Asheville proper. The two stores together operate from newly built and renovated facilities totaling more than 64,000 square feet on over 11 acres, with 32 combined service bays.
Dobbs Family Automotive, a third-generation family-owned group based in Memphis that traces its roots to 1921, now owns 14 dealerships across Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. John Dobbs Jr., President of Dobbs Family Automotive, said the group looks forward to expanding into Asheville and Western North Carolina and believes in the growth of the Mazda and CDJR brands. Fields owner John Fields said the sale lets the company focus on its Asheville luxury stores, namely BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover.
Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors, cited the firm's Carolinas track record, including more than 50 franchises sold in the region since 2023, the Paramount Automotive Foreign Cars Italia sale in Charlotte, MCE Automotive Group's Greenville dealerships in 2023 and the 2024 sale of Raleigh-based Leith Automotive to Holman. Chris Gempton, Senior Vice President of Sell Side Advisory, said North Carolina commands premium franchise prices due to its business climate and population growth, citing the firm's Blue Sky Report. The release also cites Asheville's population exceeding 422,000 in 2024, growth of 38% faster than the national average since 2020, and a $31 billion metro economy.
Legal counsel included Shermin Pelinski of Fields Auto Group, Stephen Dietrich and Kyle Gaughan of Holland & Knight LLP for Fields, and Brian Nolen of Anderson Nolen, PLLC for Dobbs.
Fields Auto Group, which began as a single Cadillac dealership in Evanston, Illinois, in 1971, operates 34 dealerships, 31 of which are luxury franchises, across Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington and North Carolina. The company described the Asheville non-luxury stores as the subject of the sale. According to the release, Fields Mazda is one of the more protected import points in the Southeast, with the nearest competing Mazda dealership more than 60 miles away. Fields CDJR has been the top-selling CDJR dealership in the market for five years and is the only CDJR dealership within Asheville proper. The two stores together operate from newly built and renovated facilities totaling more than 64,000 square feet on over 11 acres, with 32 combined service bays.
Dobbs Family Automotive, a third-generation family-owned group based in Memphis that traces its roots to 1921, now owns 14 dealerships across Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. John Dobbs Jr., President of Dobbs Family Automotive, said the group looks forward to expanding into Asheville and Western North Carolina and believes in the growth of the Mazda and CDJR brands. Fields owner John Fields said the sale lets the company focus on its Asheville luxury stores, namely BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover.
Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors, cited the firm's Carolinas track record, including more than 50 franchises sold in the region since 2023, the Paramount Automotive Foreign Cars Italia sale in Charlotte, MCE Automotive Group's Greenville dealerships in 2023 and the 2024 sale of Raleigh-based Leith Automotive to Holman. Chris Gempton, Senior Vice President of Sell Side Advisory, said North Carolina commands premium franchise prices due to its business climate and population growth, citing the firm's Blue Sky Report. The release also cites Asheville's population exceeding 422,000 in 2024, growth of 38% faster than the national average since 2020, and a $31 billion metro economy.
Legal counsel included Shermin Pelinski of Fields Auto Group, Stephen Dietrich and Kyle Gaughan of Holland & Knight LLP for Fields, and Brian Nolen of Anderson Nolen, PLLC for Dobbs.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.