Darwish, formerly a minority partner in a New Jersey Audi dealership and a platform supervisor for Napleton Automotive Team, claimed that right after getting into into an agreement with Fuccillo in August 2020, he ran into many delays. His lawyer’s workplace shut down mainly because of COVID-19, and Darwish contracted the disorder.
“I just about died,” he informed Automotive Information. “I was in the clinic for 19 days.”
Darwish mentioned he was on oxygen for two months but recovered. Then in June 2021, Fuccillo Automotive CEO Billy Fuccillo Sr. died.
Darwish stated he had small slumber more than those 20 months as he worked to fulfill with various companies and financial institutions to wrap up the deal.
He now has a employees of more than 400 men and women, whom Darwish described as “extremely superior employees.”
“The personnel that came along with this offer is breathtaking,” he mentioned. “The crew is a huge crew.”
Fuccillo Automotive Group just a several a long time ago boasted extra than 20 dealerships, but it has offered numerous shops in the earlier calendar year-additionally. In early 2021, the group marketed five New York dealerships to Matthews Automobile Team. Then in March 2021, it bought two Kia dealerships in Florida to LMP Automotive Holdings Inc. In August last calendar year, it marketed a Nissan dealership in Clearwater, Fla., to Morgan Automotive Team.
Billy Fuccillo Jr., president of the Fuccillo group, didn’t respond to requests for remark from Automotive News. The group’s web-site however lists seven franchised rooftops in New York.
Two of Fuccillo Automotive’s Normal Motors dealerships in New York shut about the time of the Darwish transaction: Fuccillo Chevrolet-Buick at the Automobile Shopping mall in Adams and Fuccillo Chevrolet of Nelliston. A GM spokesman confirmed the franchises had been terminated in late April and early May well. As component of his transaction, Darwish bought the real estate for the two destinations.
He designs to use the web-sites as applied-automobile merchants and hopes to apply to reopen the Chevrolet keep in Adams.
Darwish, 50, who explained he is a higher education dropout, has wished to individual a vehicle dealership considering that he was 21.
“I sacrificed anything to get listed here,” he explained. “I risked every thing to get here.”
And he desires a lot more. Darwish reported he needs by year’s finish to search for a lot more dealerships to get, as he hopes to own 90-furthermore shops in the upcoming seven decades.
“The moment I get likely, I want to keep likely,” he mentioned.
Bob Morris with Tim Lamb Team, a get-offer organization in Columbus, Ohio, represented the vendor in the transaction, Darwish claimed.
