Straightaway Tire buys 2 dealerships in Minnesota

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Straightaway Tire & Auto, a growing auto repair and service business backed by private equity provider O2 Investment Partners, has expanded its presence in Minnesota with the acquisition of pair of single-outlet auto service outlets.

The acquisition of Accurate Auto & Tire Service in Maple Grove and Wayne's Automotive in Grand Rapids expands Straightaway Tire's footprint in Minnesota to 12 locations and 42 overall in the six states where it operates.

Accurate Auto and Wayne's Automotive are full-service auto repair facilities that has been serving their local markets for over 25 and 35 years, respectively, years, 02 Investment Partners said. Maple Grove and Grand Rapids are suburbs of Minneapolis.

The acquisitions further bolster the nearby operations of Straightaway member company, Victory Automotive Service. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

"We're very excited to welcome the teams at Accurate Auto and Wayne's to the Straightaway family," Division President Jeff Matt said. "They have each earned loyal customer bases over their decades in operation, and we look forward to working together to uphold their reputations for great customer experience."

Joe Vallee, a partner with of O2 Investment Partners added: "The addition of Accurate Auto and Wayne's will further strengthen Straightaway's already robust presence in Minnesota. Furthermore, the transactions highlight our commitment to support Straightaway's continued expansion by leveraging platform-wide resources to drive localized growth."

Straightaway Tire & Auto was formed this past summer by the amalgamation of five independent dealerships:

• All County Automotive of Jupiter, Fla. — five stores in Florida;
• Auto Care Plus of Merrimack, N.H. — 10 stores in New Hampshire and Maine;
• Eagle Automotive Service Tire & Auto of Littleton, Colo. — 12 stores in Colorado;
• Victory Automotive Service — 13 stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin; and
• Village Autoworks of Roseville, Minn. — two stores in Minnesota.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based O2 Investment Partners manages 21 portfolio companies throughout the U.S.