Our Story & Company History
The Jim Pattison Auto Group
The Jim Pattison Auto Group encompasses 25 locations in Western Canada, representing 12 automotive brands.
The story began in 1961, when an enterprising young man from Luseland in rural Saskatchewan quit a successful business career in Vancouver and took the bold step of purchasing his own GM franchise that handled Pontiac and Buick nameplates.
Jimmy is emphatic that the 2 key elements in getting started with his dealership were General Motor's blessing and a $40,000 loan from the Royal Bank. As the commercial history of British Columbia records, Jim Pattison didn't confine himself to the retail automobile business once that side of his operations was successful and growing steadily. Jimmy diversified into a remarkable variety of industries by way of well-planned start-ups and acquisitions and he rarely if ever made a bad decision.
After working with mostly GM vehicles in the early years, Jim Pattison acquired its first Toyota dealership in 1980. Subsequently, the auto group added Lexus in 1990, Volvo in 1999 and Hyundai in 2000. July of 2005 saw the acquisition of The Jim Pattison Auto Group's first Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership.
Scion, a new lineup from Toyota aimed at younger buyers, was added to the auto group when the brand first arrived in Canada in 2011. In response to changing customer needs, Scion was transitioned to the Toyota brand in 2016.
In 2012, The Jim Pattison Auto Group expanded into Manitoba with the acquisition of Toyota and Subaru dealerships in Winnipeg. In 2013, the Volkswagen brands joined our automotive family with Jim Pattison Volkswagen Surrey.
With over 165,000 customers annually, growth and expansion are still a cornerstone of the business, as it is with all Jim Pattison Group operations.
Today, The Jim Pattison Auto Group represents Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Volvo, Subaru, Volkswagen, Audi, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Promaster. In addition to Metro Vancouver, we also serve communities in Victoria, Duncan, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.
The Jim Pattison Group
The Jim Pattison Group is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, and is comprised of over 575 locations worldwide.
Today, The Jim Pattison Group is made up of a number of strong and diverse operating divisions, which span the automotive, advertising, media, agricultural equipment, food and beverage, entertainment, exporting, financial, real estate, and periodical distribution industries.
With sales of over $9.6 Billion in 2016 and more than 42,000 employees, the Jim Pattison Group is the second largest private company in Canada.
Many Canadians are familiar with the fact that Jim Pattison Group owns such retail food operations as Overwaitea, Buy-Low, Save-On Foods, Cooper's, Nester's, Urban Fare and PriceSmart, but many of Jim Pattison Group's other operations today play a very significant role in their industries.
Canfisco, the BC coast fishing operation has been around for more than 100 years. The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group is Canada's largest western-based radio and TV company and includes 42 radio stations and 3 independent TV stations. As well, Pattison Sign Group is one of the world's largest sign and visual companies.
Other key areas of activity under Jim Pattison include shipping terminals, outdoor signage, magazine and book sales and distribution, real estate, financial services, packaging, the famous Ripley Entertainment chain of museum attractions, and Guinness World Records.
Apart from his entrepreneurial triumphs, Jim Pattison himself has a lengthy history of dedication to community and public service he is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has also been appointed to the Order of British Columbia. The Jim Pattison Group is among the most prolific corporate donors in Canada and has been for many years.
The mandate of the Jim Pattison Group is total customer satisfaction and that goal continues to enable the individual divisions of Jim Pattison Group to become leaders in their markets. Thank you for your continued business and your trust in us.