Many have noticed the parking lot of Kitchener’s Weiland Ford has been looking pretty empty lately, and it’s because the dealership is being sold to a new owner.

London-based Finch Auto Group is on the verge of taking over the storied dealership, which has been owned by the Weiland family for more than three decades.

The deal is expected to be finalized this week, with the new owner taking over the Ottawa Street and Homer Watson Boulevard location as soon as this Saturday.

While management at Weiland Ford would not comment on camera, they tell CTV News the sale is a result of the retirement of current president Mark Weiland.

Dennis DesRosiers, an automotive industry analyst, says it’s not an unusual situation.

“We have in Canada about a third of our dealers are over 58-years-old and at the end of their careers.”

The dealership is being purchased by an existing group, an increasingly common move as costs rise, DesRosiers says..

“It would be unusual for any dealership to pass through to their family members, son or daughter or etc. Most of it is going to big group owners.”

The dealership’s name is expected to change to something more community-based, like Kitchener Ford.

None of the nearly 50 jobs at the business are being affected by the transition.

No new vehicles have been ordered for about three months, because the fewer the vehicles on the lot, the smoother the deal.

Management says the change of ownership has nothing to do with sales, as Ford remains the top-selling automaker in Canada.