What Kerrigan Advisors does

Kerrigan Advisors is a private, sell-side M&A advisory firm exclusively dedicated to the U.S. auto dealership sector, founded in 2014 by Erin Kerrigan and headquartered in Incline Village, Nevada. The firm represents dealership owners, families, and investors in the sale of single stores and multi-franchise groups, and bills itself as the only advisor in auto retail with no buy-side conflicts. Core service lines are Sell-Side Advisory (transaction execution), Consulting Services (pre-sale value enhancement), and Investor Services (matching acquirers and capital into auto retail). Since 2015 the firm has reported more than 440 franchise sales generating over $10 billion in client proceeds, including landmark transactions such as the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group.

The firm's differentiated asset is its proprietary research stack: the quarterly Blue Sky Report® (franchise-level buy/sell multiples and analysis), the Kerrigan Index™ (a tracker of the seven publicly-traded auto retailers), and the annual Kerrigan Dealer Survey (525+ dealers) and Kerrigan OEM Survey. These publications double as top-of-funnel marketing and as embedded data infrastructure used in client valuation work. Securities and investment banking execution is delivered through a partnership with BA Securities, LLC (Member FINRA/SIPC), keeping Kerrigan Advisors a non-broker-dealer advisory entity.

The revenue model is professional services: transaction-based advisory fees on completed sell-side mandates, plus consulting fees and investor-side mandates. Distribution is relationship-led, with senior advisors (Erin and Ryan Kerrigan, SVPs Gabe Robleto and Chris Gempton) engaging dealership owners directly, supported by thought-leadership content (Blue Sky Report, Beyond Blue Sky Podcast) and presence at NADA and bank/OEM meetings. Customer base spans both luxury (Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, JLR, Audi, Lexus, BMW) and mass-market franchises across at least a dozen U.S. states, with a track record of dominating the largest transactions: the firm claims to have sold more dealerships on behalf of the Top 150 Dealership Groups than any other advisor.

Name

Kerrigan Advisors

Legal name

Kerrigan Advisors

Website

https://kerriganadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kerrigan Advisors is a private U.S. sell-side M&A advisory firm exclusively serving auto dealership owners, families, and investors. Since 2014 it has executed 440+ franchise sales generating over $10 billion in client proceeds, supported by proprietary publications including the Blue Sky Report® and the Kerrigan Index™.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Auto Retail M&A Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Sell-side advisory
• Dealership M&A
• Auto retail consulting
• Blue sky valuation
• Investment banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sell-Side Advisory Services: Kerrigan Advisors generates revenue through professional advisory fees for sell-side M&A transactions in the auto dealership sector. The firm represents dealership owners, families, and investors seeking to sell their businesses. Revenue is transaction-based, earned upon successful deal completion.
2. Consulting Services: Strategic consulting services for dealers and their families to increase business value, including growth planning, strategy development and acquisition analysis. Creates value at every stage of the auto retail lifecycle.
3. Investor Services: Advisory services for investors seeking to enter and invest in auto retail, matching potential investors with dealers and operators looking to grow.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kerrigan Advisors is a sell-side advisory firm exclusively dedicated to auto dealership transactions. It represents auto dealers, dealership groups, and their families in the confidential sale of their businesses to qualified buyers, while also providing strategic consulting to increase business value and advisory services to investors seeking to enter auto retail. Revenue is generated through transaction-based professional advisory fees earned upon successful deal completion.

Product overview

Kerrigan Advisors is a sell-side advisory and consulting firm exclusively dedicated to auto dealers, offering a portfolio of research publications and advisory services. The core offerings include The Blue Sky Report® (the leading industry publication on dealership buy/sell market analysis), The Kerrigan Index™ (tracking publicly-traded auto retailer valuations), and quarterly Dealer and OEM Surveys. The firm's service portfolio comprises Sell-Side Advisory (customized confidential dealership sales), Consulting Services (strategic value enhancement), and Investor Services (advisory for investors entering auto retail). Additionally, the Beyond Blue Sky Podcast provides thought leadership content featuring industry leaders and past clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Blue Sky Report®: The leading industry publication analyzing the auto dealership buy/sell market and blue sky values
• The Kerrigan Index™
• The Kerrigan Dealer Survey
• The Kerrigan OEM Survey
• Beyond Blue Sky

Products and services

• Sell-Side Advisory Customized and confidential sell-side M&A advisory services for higher value dealerships and dealership groups nationwide, representing owners and families in the sale of their auto retail businesses to qualified buyers.
• Consulting Services Strategic consulting services for dealers and their families to increase business value, including growth planning, strategy development, and acquisition analysis at every stage of the auto retail lifecycle.
• Investor Services Advisory services for professional investors, family offices, and experienced operators seeking to enter and invest in auto retail, matching potential investors with dealers and operators looking to grow.
• The Blue Sky Report® The leading industry publication analyzing the auto dealership buy/sell market and blue sky values. Published quarterly with signature blue sky charts, multiples, and analysis for each franchise in luxury and non-luxury segments.
• The Kerrigan Index™ A proprietary index tracking the seven publicly-traded auto retailers, designed to track dealership valuation trends and provide insights into factors influencing auto retail.
• Kerrigan Dealer Survey An annual survey designed to gauge dealer sentiment about franchise valuations and industry trends, typically covering over 525 dealers.
• Kerrigan OEM Survey

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $10 billion in client proceeds generated since 2015
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Performance Brokerage Services: Performance Brokerage Services is a long-standing dealership brokerage firm focused on buying and selling auto dealerships, particularly smaller and mid-sized stores. Closely comparable in business model to Kerrigan Advisors, though with more focus on lower-middle market franchises.
• Haig Partners: Haig Partners is one of the most established sell-side M&A advisors exclusively serving U.S. auto dealership groups. Directly competes with Kerrigan Advisors for the same Top 150 dealership group mandates and offers very similar exclusive sell-side positioning.
• Sun Mergers & Acquisitions: Sun M&A provides buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory for auto dealerships and dealer groups nationwide. Directly competes for the same dealership sale mandates as Kerrigan, with comparable exclusive representation services.
• Generational Group: Generational Group is a leading M&A intermediary representing privately held businesses for sale, including meaningful auto dealership practice. Competes with Kerrigan for mid-sized dealership group sell-side mandates, especially family-owned businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Eide Bailly: Eide Bailly is a top-30 U.S. accounting and advisory firm with an established automotive dealership group practice offering M&A, valuation, and consulting. Competes with Kerrigan for dealership sell-side mandates, particularly among regional groups.
• Plante Moran: Plante Moran is a major U.S. accounting and consulting firm serving auto dealers with audit, tax, and M&A advisory. Indirect competitor to Kerrigan on dealership M&A with broader back-office services across the dealer client base.
• Stout: Stout is a global advisory firm with significant automotive dealership M&A and valuation capabilities. Broadens M&A representation for dealership groups and competes for some of Kerrigan's advisory mandates.
• Crowe LLP: Crowe LLP is a top-10 U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated dealership industry practice that includes M&A advisory. Larger scale, broader service portfolio, and partial overlap with Kerrigan's buyer/seller mandates.
• WithumSmith+Brown: Withum is a top-30 U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated automotive dealership practice including M&A. Provides broader professional services to dealers and occasionally competes for sell-side mandates that Kerrigan also pursues.

Emerging players

• NCM Associates: NCM Associates provides benchmarking, consulting, and M&A support to auto retailers across North America. Adjacent to Kerrigan's consulting and sell-side advisory with overlapping dealer relationships and complementary (not directly competitive) offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kerriganadvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kerrigan-advisors
• Xx.com/KerriganAdvsrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kerrigan Advisors