The deal aligns the companies, which have similar businesses and origins. Mr Maney, who died in 2015, was a close friend of the son of the founder of the CMV Group, and former managing director, the late Jim Crawford.
The Barry Maney Group (BMG) started in July 1976 by Barry Maney and his wife Shirley who bought Kelly Ford in Mt Gambier. It was initially a Ford dealership before expanding into trucks with a Kenworth agency appointment in 1978.
BMG now has six brands – Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kenworth, DAF and Hino – and 95 staff who will be retained.
CMV Group director of group operations Anthony Casey told GoAutoNews Premium that the price for the deal was not being disclosed and that it did not include the BMG property on Jubilee Highway in Mt Gambier.
The CMV Group, which started in 1934, owns assets including CMV Truck and Bus based in Melbourne; Australia’s second biggest Toyota dealership, CMI Toyota in central Adelaide and two Mercedes-Benz and one Suzuki dealership in Adelaide. It has 1400 staff.
CMV Group managing director Paul Crawford said the relationship between the two businesses started in the 1970s through the friendship between his father, Jim Crawford, and Barry Maney OAM.
L-R: Barry Stafford, dealer principal, BMG; Michael Crawford, director, CMV; David Millard, managing director, BMG; Paul Crawford, managing director, CMV; Jim Cornolo, truck dealer principal, BMG.
“We are committed to maintaining the strong customer focus enjoyed by Barry Maney Group customers,” he said in a statement.
“We believe that there are strong synergies between the two organisations and particularly our cultures and values.
“As a testament to the legacy left by Barry Maney, we will continue to trade under the Barry Maney Group banner.”
Barry Maney Group managing director David Millard said that with the parallel histories of the two businesses “it really felt as though the transition of ownership to the CMV Group was a natural progression”.
“We are just delighted that the CMV Group, a family-owned company with similar values to ourselves, has had the opportunity to acquire the business,” Mr Millard said.
“The partners have every confidence that the CMV Group will be able to use their substantial experience and help to further grow the Barry Maney business.”
Barry Maney’s widow Shirley said: “Barry would be delighted that the business is being handed over to a business that he held in such high regard, and that all BMG staff will remain in employment as part of the acquisition.”
CMV Group said it expected the purchase to be completed by January 2019.
Neil Dowling
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