The sale now puts Suttons – operating under business names including Suttons, Gilbert & Roach, SVM and Concord – in 26 locations in NSW with 38 franchises and more than 1300 staff.

Director Craig Sutton confirmed that the Honda dealerships were changed over on December 1 for an undisclosed sum.

He said it is the first time Suttons have had a Honda and a Suzuki franchise, the latter of which is at Rosebery.  

Larke Hoskins, previously part of the Lieberman group before Mr Azzi bought it in the 1980s, is Australia’s top-selling Honda dealership.

Last year it sold more vehicles than any other Honda dealer for the fifth time with 1692 car sales, a huge 606 cars ahead of the second-placed dealer with 1086 sales.

Despite its success, former Larke Hoskins sales manager Nick Karagiannis told GoAutoNews Premium earlier this year that the Homebush dealership has “never been recognized by Honda Australia and hasn’t yet receive any acknowledgement from the distributor despite our incredible sales performance”.

“I believe Honda and its executives are totally embarrassed because the Homebush dealership contradicts all their corporate redevelopments and representations of their franchise.”

The dealer had two sites – the main showroom in Homebush and a smaller outlet in Rosebery – with the Rosebery property earmarked for redevelopment by its owner, Mr Azzi, for apartments.

GoAutoNews Premium reported in February that the 14,200 square meter Rosebery site in Epsom Road is earmarked to be developed to house up to 500 apartments, making it valued around the $180 million mark.

Mr Sutton said both properties have been leased and he expected to vacate the Rosebery site early in the New Year.

Suttons will then relocate the Honda and Suzuki franchises to the group’s nearby expansive Holden, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Kia and Hyundai dealership property in Link Road..

Suttons Honda Homebush will also be moved, going in mid-2017 to a new development in the same suburb that Suttons is building for its Holden franchise.

Mr Sutton said most of the 80 existing Larke Hoskins staff have remained after the purchase of the Honda and Suzuki franchises.

By Neil Dowling