Family-operated Century Auto has added to its Atlantic Canada base and brands with the acquisition of a Mazda store in Halifax, N.S.
The company began in 1986 with founder Ron MacGillivray, who opened a Chevrolet/Buick/GMC dealership in his name in Antigonish. In 2010, his sons David and Michael MacGillivray joined the business and began buying dealerships in Truro using the Century name of the previous owner.
“We wanted to establish a brand name to build upon and neither my brother nor I wanted to use the family name, primarily because it’s not the easiest to spell and it’s also a little traditional,” said Michael MacGillivray in an interview with Canadian auto dealer.
David is the managing principal, while Michael is the CEO. In addition to the acquisition of the Mazda store, the company also retails two Hyundai stores, along with Subaru, Nissan, Honda, Chevrolet/Buick/GMC and Corvette. The Subaru and one of the Hyundai stores is based in Saint John, N.B. The other stores are in Nova Scotia.
The Mazda store has already been rebranded with the Century name. Michael said the Chevrolet store will stay in his father’s name out of respect for him. “He said that’s what you did in the 80s: put your name on it. It was very common and almost expected, and it’s where our roots are. We’re trying to get into bigger markets.”
In 2014, the company acquired Honda and Hyundai stores in Truro. Five years later, the company opened a new Nissan store in Antigonish. In 2021, Century Auto ventured into New Brunswick acquiring a Subaru store in Saint John and about 15 months later, they purchased a Hyundai store in Saint John.
“When we got the Hyundai store it was a big store for us at the time, so my brother relocated to Saint John from Antigonish while I was in Truro,” said MacGillivray. “It was one thing when we just had the Subaru store. There’s a real experienced manager in place, but with Hyundai we had more customers there than we had initially, so my brother took on responsibility and moved there.”
“The move into New Brunswick was because of Subaru,” he added. “It’s one of those brands that is coveted, because it’s won some CADA DSI awards. We had a small dealer footprint network-wise, so I really wanted a Subaru because I noticed all the big players out east had a Subaru, to be quite frank, and I always liked the product. We may not have gotten the Hyundai had we not had the Subaru already.”
The Mazda acquisition was the first by the company in almost 18 months. During this interval, some smaller family operations opted to sell, creating more opportunities for purchasers.
“In each case so far, it’s been a family-run business that we’ve been able to acquire,” said MacGillivray. “The Mazda store was available and we liked the brand. It’s got good affiliations, too. I know they are collaborating with Toyota on some of their electrified products. And with market size, we’ve been trying to go upstream. Halifax has half a million people and is growing about 35,000 a year, so we’re pretty darn excited about the size of the market. You’re not just selling new vehicles, you’re selling used vehicles, too.”
MacGillivray said the plan is to canvas for additional opportunities, but if there is nothing available in the company’s existing geography, the focus will be shifted west.
“We have looked a bit further already,” said MacGillivray. “We’re pretty far east as it is. You’ve got to go to Newfoundland. We’ve looked there, too. It seems to stay within the ownership over there at the moment, which is what we’ve found. We are a little selective. I don’t think we are the only ones being a little selective anymore. (Although) we’re not opposed to duplicate brands.”
“We’re pleased with our company. We’re family-owned and run,” he said. “I do believe both our team members and the market like some of the aspects of these local dealerships. It’s like the show Cheers, where you walk in and people know your name. People seem to like that. Our approach is well received, once we’re in there. It’s been working well and the markets have been good to us where we’ve entered. We’ve been satisfied each time so far.”
