The acquisition follows the opening of four other dealerships in the Columbus region in 2018 and 2020.
The Avon location includes 38,000 square feet of showroom, service and parts space and 20 service bays. The deal closed Tuesday afternoon, with the store’s grand opening events scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, according to a statement.
“The people of Ohio have really embraced our sales and service standards,” Wahlberg said in the statement. “With this expansion into the Cleveland area, we are deepening our bond with our Midwestern customers.”
Joe Firment, former owner of the dealership, said in a statement that Wahlberg and Feldman would bring “new energy” to the location.
In addition to his foray into automotive retail, Wahlberg co-owns the Wahlburgers restaurant chain and has several other entrepreneurial investments.
Feldman is CEO of Feldman Automotive Group of Novi, Mich., which has 15 locations in the state. He said the partnership with Wahlberg on both the dealership portfolio and Wahlburgers has received a warm reception in Ohio, which is why the pair wanted to branch out in the state.
“We’re fortunate enough to come to Cleveland, to that market, and particularly Avon, Ohio,” Feldman told Automotive News. “We bought Joe Firment Chevrolet and we believe this is a great opportunity for us. It’s a beautiful facility on I-90, the highway … It’s a great spot on the west side of Cleveland.”
Automotive News previously reported that Feldman met Wahlberg in 2013 in Detroit while the latter was filming the fourth installment of the Transformers movie franchise. The two also are partners in several Wahlburgers restaurants.
The two indicated an interest in acquiring more dealerships earlier this year. The acquisition of the Avon Chevrolet store follows the openings of Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet in 2018, Mark Wahlberg Buick-GMC and Mark Wahlberg Airstream & RV in July 2020 and Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Worthington in August 2020.
“We’re open to acquiring anything, really, that makes sense for the portfolio,” Feldman said, when asked if he and Wahlberg were interested in acquiring dealerships selling non-GM brands. “We love Chevrolet, but we certainly are open to looking at other brands in the Cleveland and Columbus market and other markets in Ohio.”
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