The dealer principalmarketing list for the person who owns the franchise
Reach the owners. Get verified dealer principal and owner contacts at 20,000+ franchised and independent dealerships across the US and Canada, each tied to its parent dealer group. Filter by OEM franchise, group, and state, then download a CSV. It's 1 credit per contact, and $0.99 to start.
What is a dealer principal marketing list?
A dealer principal marketing list is a targeted set of verified contacts for the people who own car dealership franchises. The dealer principal holds the franchise agreement with the OEM, carries the capital risk, and decides what the store buys, builds, and becomes — a different decision than the general manager's, which is about running what already exists. It is also a role in the middle of the biggest consolidation wave the industry has seen: the buy/sell market recorded 478 transactions in the twelve months ending March 2026, 114% above the pre-pandemic norm. Hermes Data builds this list from its dataset of 200,000+ verified decision-makers at 20,000+ US and Canadian rooftops, matching dealer principal, owner, and president titles, with the parent dealer group attached to every record. It's 1 credit per contact, starting at a $0.99 trial.
Capital decisions, not operating decisions
The GM runs the store; the dealer principal decides whether there is another one. If you sell acquisitions advisory, real estate, floorplan and capital, succession and estate planning, or anything that changes the shape of the business rather than its week, this is the desk.
Ownership structure, made visible
Every record carries its parent dealer group, so you can tell a single-point owner from a principal who holds twelve rooftops. That distinction changes the pitch entirely, and most contact databases flatten it away.
A consolidating buyer set
Franchise sales ran 21% ahead of the prior year in Q1 2026 while the total U.S. rooftop count stayed flat at 18,398 franchised dealerships. The same stores, fewer owners — which means the principals still on this list are increasingly the ones doing the buying.
CSV in minutes, pay-as-you-go
Preview the count, export a CSV, and drop it into your CRM or sequencer. 1 credit per contact, credits never expire, and you can start for $0.99 with no annual contract.
Industry context
Independent research on this segment, from the primary sources. We don't publish these figures — we read them off the publisher's own page, and last checked every one on .
Haig Partners · Q3 2025
The Haig Report
Publicly traded auto retail groups averaged $2,534 in F&I gross profit per vehicle retailed in Q3 2025, up 5.2% year over year and approaching record highs.
Quarterly, free to read.
Read it at Haig PartnersKerrigan Advisors · Q1 2026
Blue Sky Report — buy/sell market data
The dealership buy/sell market completed 478 transactions in the twelve months ending March 2026 — a record, and 114% above the pre-pandemic norm — with Q1 franchise sales up 21% year over year.
Read it at Kerrigan AdvisorsUrban Science · Year-end 2025 review
Automotive Franchise Activity Report
The U.S. ended 2025 with 18,398 franchised dealership rooftops, essentially flat against 18,374 a year earlier.
Counts franchised rooftops; NADA's ~16,990 counts reporting franchised dealerships. Different methodologies — not interchangeable.
Read it at Urban Science
Frequently asked questions
What is a dealer principal marketing list?
It is a targeted list of verified contacts — names, titles, and emails — for the people who own car dealership franchises. Hermes Data filters its dataset of 200,000+ dealership decision-makers to the dealer principal, owner, and president titles, with each record tied to a specific rooftop and its parent dealer group. You can narrow by franchise, group, and state, then download a CSV. A trial costs $0.99.
What's the difference between a dealer principal and a general manager?
The dealer principal owns the franchise; the general manager runs the store day to day. The principal signs the franchise agreement with the manufacturer, carries the capital risk, and decides on acquisitions, facilities, and succession. The GM owns the store's P&L and operating decisions. If your offer changes the shape of the business, write to the principal. If it changes how the store operates this quarter, the GM is usually the faster path.
Can I tell which dealer principals own multiple rooftops?
Yes. Every record carries the parent dealer group that owns the store, so you can separate single-point owners from principals holding a portfolio of rooftops, and filter to group-owned stores or independents specifically. That matters because consolidation has been running at record levels — Kerrigan Advisors recorded 478 dealership transactions in the twelve months ending March 2026.
How much does a dealer principal contact list cost?
Pricing is pay-as-you-go: 1 credit per contact. Plans start at $99/month, and a $0.99 trial gets you 20 credits. Credits roll over and never expire. There is no annual contract and no minimum spend, so you only pay for the dealer principals you export.
More dealership contacts
Try Hermes Data for $0.99
Self-serve access to the automotive data your business runs on. The $0.99 trial gives you 20 credits to spend across Contacts, Dealers, and Dealer Groups. Then auto-upgrade to Starter ($99/mo) — or cancel any time.
Contacts, Dealers, and Dealer Groups are all self-serve on one credit wallet — spend your trial credits on any of them. Vehicle Listings is live too, on its own API subscription (separate from the credit wallet). Explore Listings.