Leeds West Groups (LWG) will enter two new states on Aug. 1 when it acquires three Big O Tires stores from Big OKI LLC.
The acquisition moves Leeds West Groups into Ohio and Kentucky. It includes the purchase of Big OKI LLC's stores in Hamilton, Ohio, Georgetown, Ky., and Lexington, Ky. (Big OKI, LLC is a division of Eagle Finance run by Ed Reynolds out of Florence, Ky.)
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Leeds West Groups says it will retain all of the existing empoyees at the three stores.
“Entering into the Ohio and Kentucky market is very exciting for LWG," says CEO Judd Kyle Shader. "It allows us to continue to create consolidation and more expansion opportunities for us in the MidWest and Eastern region with the Big O Tires brand. As we are committed to nationwide growth across all of our automotive platforms, this deal aligns perfectly with our growth objectives and operational strengths under our COO Derek Wessels and Big O Division Vice President James Gould.”
This moves Leeds West Groups into its 17th and 18th states with different automotive repair franchises. Its 26 Big O Tires stores will be spread within five states.
Between its Big O Tires, Midas and SpeeDee Oil locations, Leeds West Groups will employ more than 1,000 team members across all three franchise brands with 104 stores. It last acquired a store in March 2020 in Nebraska.