Ford Groves dealership to relocate near SportsPlex

A new home is in the works for Ford Groves.

Representatives from the 110-year-old Ford Motor Company dealership said construction on a new location by the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex should commence in the coming months.

“From the very start we knew we wanted to upgrade from our facility, which is about 35 years old, and we looked at various spots and finally settled on the one by the SportsPlex,” Ford Groves dealer Bob Neff said.

The dealership currently operates out of a Cape Girardeau location at 1501 N. Kingshighway. A Jackson Ford Groves location at 825 E. Jackson Blvd. sold in August.

Ford Groves general manager Heath Lucas said the company bought the land for the SportsPlex-adjacent location.

“That’s going to be a growing part of the area. We thought being by the interstate would be good for our business,” Lucas said.

Ford Groves did not own the Jackson dealership’s building and do not own their current Cape Girardeau location, leading to the relocation. A potential location on Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau did not come to fruition, so the company switched to building near the SportsPlex.

Now the dealership is waiting on final approval from Ford Motor Company for its new facility designs. They have taken the standard Ford dealership footprint and made a few changes to better suit the property.

“We submit those to Ford, they give us their blessing on it, and then we can move forward,” Neff said.

Lucas said construction should start in the coming months. He estimated it would be finished in 2025.