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City Ford in Monmouth Closing; City Select in Galesburg Remaining Open
A Monmouth car dealership is closing its doors, and what is Monmouth's loss likely will be Galesburg's gain.

City Ford in Monmouth is closing its doors effective immediately, and owner Ron Hicks says while the affiliation with Ford will be resigned, all used car inventory there will be moved to his other dealership, City Select motors, on North Henderson Street in Galesburg.

Hicks tells WGIL it wasn't a decision he wanted to make, but felt he had to make.

"A lot of things impacted the decision, but primarily, it's basic economics," Hicks said. "Sales tailed off in Monmouth for us on the new car side 30- to 40-percent. And unfortunately, when you have that kind of a drop, expenses exceed your gross sales. And as a consequence, you have to make a big decision, and that's what impacted it the most."

Hicks says while sales of new cars dropped, used vehicle sales at the Galesburg store have done very well -- so much so that he believes right now, buying a used car given the economic downturn is the way to go.

He says all but three to five people at the Monmouth dealership will lose their jobs -- those remaining moving to the Galesburg dealership.

Hicks says he wants to thank all those who've done business with him, and believes that no matter where you shop for a car, as long as you keep your business in Knox or Warren Counties, the area will do just fine.
05 10 09 by Newsroom
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