Three Rossmeyer HD Dealerships Bought by Penske

Those of you who were left wondering what will happen with one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealership chains after their owner, Bruce Rossmeyer died in July last year, should find out that three locations have been bought by Roger Penske, the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation and other automotive related businesses.

According to some sources close to the matter, Penske toured the three locations in Broward County, Florida last week, meeting the staff and walking through the dealerships in Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise.

Some of you, however, might not be that surprised, as Penske was mentioned last September as a potential buyer for several of Rossmeyer’s dealerships, but the rumors seemed to fade as Penske Automotive Group negotiated with General Motors to buy the Saturn brand.

Bruce Rossmeyer started building his motorcycle empire in 1994 when he decided to sell Harley-Davidson's as a hobby. He became the owner of fifteen Harley-Davidson dealerships, including the enormous Destination Daytona.

The slowing economy left the large showroom dealerships full of motorcycles and with just few buyers. While revealing the company's 2009 financial performance last week, Harley-Davidson noted 28 independently owned dealerships closed in 2009 with another 15 dealers expected to close in the next three months.

However, how much of the vast Rossmeyer dealership network is being sold, or why the family is now choosing to sell locations has never been explained publicly. Hopefully, Penske will help the three locations successfully survive the economic slump.