One wild year: Palm Coast Ford forecasts a stimulus bump in sales

If you take out March and April 2020, the dealership was only down 1.5% for the year.

By Brian McMillan
| 3:20 p.m. March 16, 2021

Palm Coast Ford Product Specialist Mason Lowe helps customers Malcolm and Anne Fraser buy a Ford Escape. Courtesy photo

Palm Coast Observer
Business

The coronavirus swallowed the economy whole in March 2020. It wasn’t any kinder in April, as Florida’s unemployment rate hit 12.9%. Palm Coast Ford took a hit — but things improved steadily afterward. In fact, although the dealership’s sales were down 10% in 2020 when compared with 2019, if you took out March and April, sales would only be down 1.5% for the year.

And so, Ford General Manager Don York feels optimistic. Even before the second round of stimulus checks were announced, he said, “We felt like we were in a very good position heading into 2021.”

The infusion of stimulus cash into the economy could have a bigger impact on sales than the first round did.

“Last time people were using the stimulus to catch up on their rent — they really needed it to put food on the table,” York said. “But this time, I think a lot of people, hopefully, are caught up. … I would think this stimulus will help our end of things more so than it did the last time.”

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Brian McMillan

Brian McMillan and his wife, Hailey, bought the Observer in 2023. Before taking on his role as publisher, Brian was the editor from 2010 to 2022, winning numerous awards for his column writing, photography and journalism, from the Florida Press Association.