Following the news earlier this morning that ECP parent company, LKQ holding is to acquire Andrew Page, the following statement has been issued by LKQ:
“LKQ Corporation today announced that its United Kingdom subsidiary, Euro Car Parts, has acquired substantially all the business assets of Andrew Page Limited, a distributor of automotive parts in the United Kingdom. As part of the transaction, Euro Car Parts will acquire 102 Andrew Page branch locations, its national distribution centre and corporate office.
UK C.E.O. Martin Gray said “I am delighted to confirm that the future of the Andrew Page business has been secured, which celebrates its UK centenary next year. We remain committed to assuring that the iconic Andrew Page “Brand” continues to thrive and will remain separate from Euro Car Parts, but will benefit from our UK infrastructure, inventory and the financial support from the LKQ Corporation.”
Gray added “I am thrilled to confirm that Mark Saunders will remain as Managing Director of Andrew Page and we are committed to retaining all team members – they are the DNA that makes Andrew Page so uniquely special. We very much hope that Andrew Page’s customers will continue to support Andrew Page, partnering with them to ensure that the Andrew Page proposition, that they rely upon and love, continues to meet their current and future requirements”.
UK Chairman and LKQ Board Member Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia added “As a competitor, I have always had the greatest respect and admiration for Andrew Page and the brand. So today, I’m absolutely delighted to welcome them into the LKQ family. The acquisition by LKQ firmly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the UK market, which includes their investment in the Euro Car Parts brand new 1.6M sq. ft. distribution centre, located in Tamworth and our recent acquisition of Arleigh, a specialist leisure wholesaler.”
We’ll bring you more developments on this story as they occur.
This was all very predictable from the time Unipart Automotive was put into Administration,
coincidentaly ,just after the take over of Camberley Autoparts by Andrew Page around the same time 2014 with a convenient merger on the Horizon ECP and Andrew Page leaving very little competition in the way .So that was why the Unipart Automotive Managers seemed to look so cool and collected when the workers were summoned to the Unipart redundancy meeting and not worried when they were put in Administration with the thousands of job loses at Unipart They possibly knew what was coming in the future and they would be fine
The Competition and Markets Authority has an ongoing Merger enquiry, which is interesting.
ECP will close down all the AP branches, as everyone says it is LSUK all over again. Having worked for ECP, but never again, they are run by unscrupulous money grabbers. Andrew Page RIP. One of the best companies to work for (and yes I have worked for them as well)
What does 45 days consultation mean? and when you say all BDM’s is that Andrew Pages or all ECP’s.
As mentioned by others, Senior Management who know nothing about anything, getting rid of the other managers who’d build the business over many years and know the industry.
Greedy equity companies who know nothing, only wanting to makes as much money as soon as possible, with total disregard for the company staff.
AP was doing fine until the equity firms decide they want all their money. Numerous parties wanting to buy AP, it just so happens probably were willing to pay more – who knows.
LKQ would be stupid to have paid for AP without a plan. Shutting them down would be a very expensive way to remove competition. They just want an M&S and Lidl brand. Some people will always go with quality, some will always go the cheap n cheerful.
What spare part says is so correct. LKQ must keep the staff already in place in both companies, AP was a very very profitable company a few years ago as was ECP.
Both company’s were trying to beet each other by going to big to quick just as Finlist did five or six years ago and look what happened to that great company.
Hope LKQ have motor trade back ground knowledge and not in it to make a quick buck.
Finelist went pop 16 years ago! Time flies when you’re having fun.
What a fantastic business ECP continue to be. They save 2,500 jobs and keep open more than 100 sites. Would have been very easy to cherry pick the locations and send hundreds to the dole office. Cant we just rejoice in jobs being saved and ECP coming to the rescue again.
Just like they did at LSUK? They said that before they closed all the branches.
Quite right and well said. This is fair competition at it’s best. The better run company wins – nothing wrong with that. Any suppliers to Page will have known for years that there was a problem and of course a credit risk but they continued to supply – they can’t say they weren’t warned.
you must live in a dream world…
ecp / andrew page now have 3 depots in stockport so i can see them closing some..
I think the monopoly commission should look into this sounds between both company’s ….they got the The independent mother trade by the short and curlies
its not an issue as they look at the industry as a whole and would include OE parts from all the different car brands and their dealers.
I work for one of AP’s suppliers. The knock on effect to us and all others like us has been horrendous for the last few weeks.With our insurance on hold, nothing has moved out of the warehouse for nearly a month! I pity all those firms that solely deal with them. I’d take a good guess that some have gone to the wall…
So do anyone know which actual branches have shut?
As I work within the parts trade and a previous employee of ECP and still working in the parts industry I’m a little confused on what will happen. Purely being where I live there is a ECP in my town and the next town less than 20min drive is another ECP which then there is an Andrew Page which serves both areas. But what I’m confused about is surely garages will ring around for the best price possible and will use another parts suppliers price to then go get a better price….surely they will be fighting against eachother to get the business but just loose profit! Then that makes me think will they start putting prices up to then compensate for that battle of the better price? In my eyes ECP want the business and they got most of but why buy a business that will shoot themselves in the foot?
Any members of the ap sales force who work in the Yorkshire are get in touch with us at bullseye we would gladly hear from you hm guys. My understanding would be that they will close ap branches or ecp go down the fps route and ap be the factoring sites for them but believe me they are terrible to work for
AP staff at Northallerton laid off this morning, some by means of a phone call
Can we just be happy for the time being that 2,430 staff have kept there jobs
IF… There are closures… Job losses… ECP aren’t to blame….. Andrew Page Private Equity management are!! They got AP in the mess they were in…. ECP got them out.
Tom..LSUK had poor management…ECP failed to do adequate due diligence….. But did pay the LSUK 1months salary…. They wouldn’t had got that if ECP didn’t jump in last minute.
I can see your point but I also know what ECP’s want out of the business and that is to be within 30minutes of every garage in the UK which now will be pretty close to after taking on AP. But read my statement above and see what you think
Sad day, still we got close to a 100 million when we sold it to the clueless financiers a few years ago.
How does that work then? two companies fighting for one pie, but has the same parent??
Easy, every town that has a AP and a ECP branch one of them closes I would guess.
AP chose to try to fight ECP, you know the sort of thing selling to the public at trade prices, or in the case of ECP often for less than they would sell to trade!!!! Other factors chose not to and are still trading today. ECP are the pound shop of the motor factor world.
I think you incorrect about ECP being a pound shop…there actually a good company to work for if your willing to put in the hard work to achieve it! I worked my way up within ECP and got to a managers position within a year and the regional managers look after there own branches very well!
AP as far as I can see tried to do what Unipart did and tried selling things that ECP would beat…make profit on and carry on where AP and Unipart tried keeping up with this and failed miserably because they were selling at a loss!!
ECP have an amazing business and Sukhpal did well on purchasing power to make the room for selling at lower price which no one else can touch!!
I know ECP have a reputation for being rubbish at customer service etc etc but you can’t mock them for there amazing prices and availability!!
It doesnt, if you believe ECP will keep Andrew Page running as a separate business, just google ECP buys LSUK
You will see Pages future
ECP bought LSUK in the middle of the credit crunch and several years before they were bought by their very rich american parent company. Big difference.
Job losses, branch closures.
Look at the recent GSF, parts alliance merger for example
Steve this is my question too! Would love an answer!!
I hear all bdm’s on 45 days consultation!