Group 1 Automotive(US:GPI)2020-07-30 18:02COVID-19 Impact and Recovery - In the first half of April, the Company's vehicle sales and service business were down approximately 50%[5] - By the end of June, the Company's new vehicle sales had rebounded to a level approximately 15% below last year[6] - The flexibility of the business model allowed the Company to generate record operating profit despite an approximate 30% decrease in total company second quarter revenues[7] - In April, the Company furloughed 90% of its employees in the U K[10] - By the end of May, the Company still had 75% of staff furloughed in the U K[11] - At the end of June, 50% of the Company's staff remained on furlough in the U K, but workshop demand had recovered to approximately 70% of pre-COVID levels[12] Cost Management and SG&A Reduction - The Company took swift action to furlough or lay off 4,800 U S employees, representing 42% of headcount[18] - The Company anticipates a permanent impact that will lower SG&A as a percentage of gross profit by at least 200-300 basis points[18] - Nearly $300 million of annualized U S SG&A reduction from 2Q19[18] AcceleRide® Performance - 2Q20 AcceleRide® leads were up 203 percent and 2Q20 AcceleRide® sales were up 190% from prior year period—averaged ~1,000 retail unit sales per month via this channel[51] Financial Overview - As of June 30, 2020, the Company owns approximately $13 billion of net real estate, representing 61% of dealership locations, financed through $621 million of mortgage debt[101]