Good Alberta Week for Jim Pattison

[jon]

On Wednesday, the CRTC announced approved for Jim Pattison to buy the 51% of CIKT-FM (Q99) in Grande Prairie that he did not already own. Then, this afternoon, first word I've heard that Pattison got his first auto dealership in Alberta.

Approval of his purchase of his first two radio stations in Edmonton came last December.

Pattison enters Alberta auto market with Audi Edmonton North
By David Howell, Edmonton Journal
August 28, 2015 2:28 PM

EDMONTON - Vancouver billionaire Jimmy Pattison is in his element, talking cars in the boardroom of a shiny new Audi dealership he happens to own.

“I am a car guy,” he says in an interview, happily admitting the obvious.

Do you have a favourite Audi?

“Yes,” he says. “It would be the very expensive convertible that they have. I think it’s the R8.”

Bill Harbottle, president of the Jim Pattison Auto Group, cuts in to clarify.

“The R8 Spyder,” Harbottle says — the $150,000 sports car Audi describes as “extroverted” and “one of the most breathtaking vehicles in its class.”

And do you have an R8 Spyder, Mr. Pattison?

“No, I don’t,” he says.

“They haven’t given me one yet.”

Pattison, 86, whose net worth has been estimated by Forbes at $6.6 billion US, was in Edmonton Thursday for the grand opening of Audi Edmonton North, 18855 Stony Plain Rd.

“This is the first opportunity we’ve had to have a franchise of this calibre,” he said.

The 37,000 sq.-ft., two-storey facility is Pattison’s first Audi dealership. It’s also his first foray into Edmonton’s new car sales market.

Designed on the “Audi terminal” blueprint, it has an airy 12-vehicle showroom and a spotless 16-bay service centre.

Audi Edmonton North is part of the Jim Pattison Auto Group, which has 25 dealerships in Western Canada, mainly in British Columbia but with a recent expansion into Manitoba. Brands include Toyota, Scion, Lexus, Hyundai, Subaru, Volvo, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep.

The auto group is a division of the Jim Pattison Group, one of Canada’s largest privately held business empires, with 39,000 employees and 2014 revenues of $8.4 billion.

Other Pattison Group interests in the Edmonton area include 19 Save-On Foods stores, a grocery distribution centre under construction, outdoor advertising signs and FM radio stations 102.3 Now! and UP! 99.3.

Pattison, originally from Luseland, Sask., began his career as a car salesman in Vancouver, where he opened a Pontiac and Buick dealership in 1961.

Pattison had pursued an Audi franchise for years, Harbottle said. The opportunity arose after Audi’s market research found Edmonton could support a second dealer. The other is Southgate Audi.

Now Pattison is looking at more expansion possibilities in Alberta and in Saskatchewan, Harbottle said.

“The automobile industry has been very good in Edmonton, and the luxury market particularly has been growing,” he said.

“It’s had a little bit of a slowdown this year, as all automobile sales in the province have, but the luxury market is strong and overall will be growing, so we feel there is tremendous potential for Audi in this market.”

Daniel Weissland, president of Audi Canada, said the German luxury carmaker has big ambitions.

Audi, which has been in the Canadian market since 1971, sold more than 1.74 million vehicles worldwide in 2014.

In March it announced it will spend nearly $40 billion on new products and technologies by 2019. It plans to extend its range to 60 vehicles by 2020.

Guests invited to the dealership’s grand opening saw the all-new Q7 SUV, which won’t be available until January.

[jon]

Here is the Grande Prairie story from Broadcast Dialogue:

The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group has acquired CIKT-FM Grande Prairie from Bear Creek Broadcasting. In approving the purchase, the CRTC said that while the transaction would reduce the number of radio operators in the Grande Prairie market, it would allow JPBG to gain efficiencies in operations with CIKT-FM and CJXX-FM under one roof. JPBG said the value of the deal totalled $4,658,916...

[jon]

Less than an hour ago, I was driving behind an Audi with a Jim Pattison Edmonton license plate holder. And I was nowhere near the new location, just a few blocks West of Bell Media: CFRN-TV, Access TV, and CFRN-AM, Virgin and The Bear FM.

[Howaboutthat]

Less than an hour ago, I was driving behind an Audi with a Jim Pattison Edmonton license plate holder. And I was nowhere near the new location, just a few blocks West of Bell Media: CFRN-TV, Access TV, and CFRN-AM, Virgin and The Bear FM.

Jon.... don't tease us. We know it was an Audi, but we also need to know the model, year and colour.