As Printed in the St. Louis Business Journal May 11, 2022:

EchoPark Automotive, the used vehicle retail brad of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sonic Automotive Inc. (NYSE: SAH), on Monday opened it’s first location in the St. Louis region and in Missouri.

A 60,285-square-foot EchoPark “retail hub” has opened at 18491 Outlet Blvd. in Chesterfield, the site of a former Gander Outdoors camping gear store.

EP Realty MO LLC, an entity affiliated with Sonic Automotive, acquired the property in November for $4.3 million from an entity affiliated with Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT), according to county and state records. Allegiant had bought the property for $4.8 million in late 2019 with the intention of opening an Allegiant Nonstop entertainment center there, however it discontinued that business in 2020.

EchoPark didn’t share information about any costs for the location’s buildout.

The car retailer's new Chesterfield location, led by Devin Howsare, has about 46 employees and is planning to hire three or four additional workers in its sales and reconditioning departments, according to officials.

EchoPark, launched in 2014, has retail hubs that sell from an on-site inventory of used cars, as well as from online stock. The brand also has "delivery centers," that deliver cars from an online-only inventory.

The new Missouri location, part of a nationwide expansion, follows openings in the past two weeks of a new EchoPark delivery center in Columbus, Georgia, and a retail hub in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Missouri is EchoPark's 20th state. Officials said its growing network is expected to reach 90% of the U.S. population and generate $14 billion in revenue by 2025.

“We are pleased with the progress we are making as a brand and I’m proud of our teammates for continuing to deliver happy owners, while growing the EchoPark brand at the same time," David Smith, CEO of Sonic Automotive, said Tuesday in a press release. "Our rapidly growing distribution network brings the best quality pre-owned cars with the best-proven value from the most caring staff who will deliver award-winning guest experiences to another key market.”

Sonic Automotive, one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers, also sells through franchised dealerships representing more than 25 new vehicle brands.