SPRINGDALE — Two familiar names in Northwest Arkansas car sales have started new ventures in Springdale.
Dwight Everett, co-owner of Everett-Maxey Buick-GMC in Bentonville, recently purchased Fletcher Chevrolet at the corner of Interstate 540 and Elm Springs Road, renaming it Everett Chevrolet.
The Landers-McLarty group of dealerships plans to open a usedcar lot bearing the group’s name this week on a former Fletcher lot on Thompson Street. The group is leasing the lot. Landers declined to comment on the price or duration of the lease.
Everett Chevrolet will continue to offer a complete line of new Chevrolets, just as it did under the Fletcher banner. “Chevrolet is a fantastic brand to own, and the store’s in agreat location. We anticipate growing both the sales and service sides of the dealership,” Everett said.
The new Landers-McLarty lot will carry an inventory of 80 to 100 used vehicles, ranging in price from about $3,000 to $18,000, said Steve Landers.
“It’s a satellite to our new-car operation in Bentonville. We’re setting it up to handle customers from all walks of life,” Landers said.
Many of the used cars will be trade-in or lease returns sent from other Landers-McLarty dealerships, he said.
The Thompson Street lot, which housed Fletcher Chevrolet before it moved in 2006 to west Springdale, contains a full service shop. Sales should start this week, while service will begin within a few months, Landers said.
Landers plans to add about 20 jobs. Initially most will be sales positions, more will be added as the service side is ramped up. Everett kept nearly all the former Fletcher employees, as well as the existing service shop.
Landers-McClarty owns more than 20 dealerships in several Southern states. They sell automotive lines including Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Nissan, Toyota and Scion.
Similar used-car satellite operations, offering cash vehicles, traditional and subprime financing, havesucceeded near other Landers-McClarty new-car dealerships, Landers said.
Everett, in addition to the new Chevrolet franchise, owns Everett Buick-GMC in the central Arkansas town of Bryant, and co-owns Everett Maxey Buick-GMC in Bentonville. He also sold Pontiac products inBentonville and Bryant until General Motors dropped that nameplate.
Fletcher Automotive Group continues to operate Honda and Kia dealerships in Bentonville, as well as 10 other dealerships selling a dozen makes throughout Arkansas and Missouri.
Both new and usedsales are trending upward, according to the Manheim Index, an industry-wide measure of vehicle sales. New vehicle sales are on a four-quarter climb, increasing a seasonally-adjusted 2.6 million over the same time last year. January sales were estimated up 6 percent over December.
Used-vehicle sales climbed 6.2 percent over last January, mostly because of better access to financing for both customers and dealerships, according to market analysis attached to the Manheim report. Used-vehicle values have climbed an estimated 27 percent over the last two years.
Business, Pages 11 on 02/27/2011