■ Kestenholz acquires Mercedes Johann Wedig!

The Johann Wedig car dealership in Frankenthal, Rhineland-Palatinate, is under the umbrella of the Swiss Kestenholz Group.

By Yvonne Simon kfz-betrieb, translation AutoNews24

■ The Kestenholz Group is continuing its expansion in Germany and will acquire the Johann Wedig car dealership in Frankenthal on March 1, 2025. The Swiss company announced that approximately 60 employees at the dealership will retain their jobs.

At the time of the takeover, Johann Wedig GmbH will be renamed and integrated into Kestenholz Autohaus GmbH, based in Neustadt an der Weinstra?e (formerly the Falter Group).

Kestenholz is taking over a company rich in tradition: Johann Wedig laid the foundation stone for the company back in 1897. The car dealership has been a Mercedes contract partner since 1962 and today sells used cars as well as spare parts and accessories in addition to the car and truck workshop business. The company's accessories warehouse includes over 15,000 items.

■ Kestenholz on a growth path in Germany

Kestenholz is expanding its presence in Germany. In June 2022, the company ventured beyond the German-Swiss border for the first time by acquiring Lyhs & Gondert in Koblenz. In 2023, Kestenholz made three additional acquisitions: Auto Weber in Freiburg, the seven companies of the Falter Group, and AHG Newel, which spans the Eifel, Mosel, and Hunsrück regions. In March 2024, the company added the Lehmann car dealership in Schopfheim to its portfolio.

Currently, Kestenholz operates in Germany in L?rrach, Bad S?ckingen, and has a commercial vehicle center in Weil am Rhein. The Kestenholz locations in Freiburg-Süd and Bad S?ckingen were originally part of Daimler until 2015; they were acquired by Kestenholz as part of the sale of the "South Baden sales area" seven years ago.

■ Kestenholz currently employs 1,073 people in Germany. The company is expected to sell approximately 3,500 new cars and around 5,000 used cars in the country in 2024, generating sales of 514 million euros. Additionally, cross-border sales are projected to reach about 800 million euros.

In Switzerland, Kestenholz operates six companies across three locations: Oberwil, Basel, and Pratteln—near Basel, where the group’s headquarters, founded in 1952, is situated.

Kestenholz is not the only Swiss group in the Mercedes network expanding in Germany. Just last week, it was announced that Merbag will acquire 13 locations and 900 employees from the KBM Group in April 2025.

(ID:50261646) Source: kfz-betrieb

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