BREAKING: The following statement has been released by Euro Car Parts:
“Euro Car Parts announced today that Andy Hamilton has been appointed CEO of the ECP Group, effective immediately, replacing Martin Gray who has decided to leave the company to pursue other interests. Hamilton joined Euro Car Parts in 2010 and held several different roles within the company, the last of which was Chief Operating Officer.
READ: LKQ CONFIRM SUKHPAL’S RESIGNATION
“During that period ECP saw unprecedented growth as the branch network increased from 89 to over 220 locations. In 2016, Andy was asked to assume a position with LKQ Europe and most recently held the title Chief Commercial Officer, where he was responsible for several key pan-European projects related to digital strategy, revenue optimization, category and product management, data analytics, pricing and garage customer concepts. Prior to ECP, Andy held a variety of management roles for Halfords Group, the UK’s leading automotive and leisure retailer with over 500 locations.
READ: BOARD WALKOUT AT EURO CAR PARTS
“Commenting on the changes John Quinn, CEO for LKQ’s European operations said “I am delighted to have someone with Andy’s customer focus and experience leading Euro Car Parts. With the completion of our new National Warehouse in Dublin to service the ROI and with our Tamworth distribution facility now fully operational, we are poised to continue our growth track.“
“2018 saw Euro Car Parts complete a number of important projects. After gaining clearance from the CMA they were able to integrate the Andrew Page logistics and purchasing functions. The company relocated out of several warehouses around the country into its Tamworth operations, including its highly automated T2 warehouse. It also completed a new distribution warehouse in Dublin to better service the ROI market. “With the efforts these projects required now behind us, we can return our energy to growing our business and providing the outstanding service and value to our customers that we have been long known for. It is an exciting time to be leading Euro Car Parts” said Hamilton,
“I look forward to re-joining my colleagues as we take Euro Car Parts to the next level of operational excellence.”
As always, CAT will bring you the news as it breaks. 
Many people commenting don’t understand one basic thing in this business: AVAILABILITY.
When you buy a part, you are not buying ONLY a part. You are buying TIME.
It is a COMPLETELY different product/service combination having a part in 1 hour (delivered by your own expensive fleet) than having a part delivered to you in 2 days by Royal Mail or any courier.
So, it is absolutely fair game when the end-consumer gets the same part cheaper in 2 days time than the price the workshop pays.
AND there is a higher propensity for the workshop to call (rather than using eCommerce) compared to the end-consumer. God knows why! So: more man-hours spent serving the workshop!
PLEASE compare apples with apples.
And let’s not kid ourselves: More usually than not the consumer buys the same kind of brands as the workshop does.
A fair point. However, last year a friend of mine (NOT IN THE INDUSTRY) asked “who is Euro Car Parts”? I asked why and he explained that he had ordered a selection of bits and oil to service his car. He ordered online and was staggered that they were delivered in 30 minutes.
I accept what you say about the importance of time to a garage this is why they will often use several factors rather than just the one. Factors then claim their is no such thing as loyalty anymore.
However, if a garage is spending thousands each month then surely he should get a better deal than a one off purchase?
This is not unique to ECP of course. Some factors do a fair bit on ebay and as its best price wins will sell cheaper than to a garage.
Thanks for some of the funniest reads I’ve had in a while. Firstly NO garage should fit a customer supplied part EVER. As a garage you open yourself up to all sorts of litigation if it fails, particularly if it’s a safety critical part. Even if it’s not and it fails and you end up in court for costs etc, you will invariably lose.
You will most likely NOT be covered by your insurance.
You will have no recourse to the manufacturer/supplier as you didn’t actually buy it!
ECP’s biggest single profit and sales comes from retail customers. I don’t care if you’re the biggest garage in the Country, you’re not as important as the retail public to ECP.
If garages are stupid enough to use them, whilst they continue to supply the end user at the same or cheaper prices, more fool them.
And one things for sure, they clearly are happy to use them. The level of sales coming out of branches is HUGE! Many branches well into the 10’s of thousands and producing figures other factors can only dream of.
Euro Car parts should choose who they want to support; the retail customer or the trader, but whilst the idiot trade continue to use them ECP are literally having their cake and eating it…… and you can hardly blame them.
I need to make it clear that I don’t believe click and collect customers should get a better price than a trade customer (garages)but should they necessarily pay more?
We need to understand that just as the garage owners decides where they buy their parts from it’s the consumer who decides where they purchase from too.
Of course they will do that based on price but also on a trust factor (the fear of being ripped off) as has been well documented an number of times by Watch Dog type programs which then unfortunately affects the good garages too.
Most garages will stock oil in barrels and are therefore entitled to make a margin to cover the stocking and associated costs. I also believe it’s fair to make a small handling charge type mark up on bought in parts, but why do some garages still feel the need to try and make unreasonable mark up on parts that they haven’t had to source, catalogue, stock or deliver?
All they would have had to do is to make a call or maybe even order online (Yes Online)from any amount of eager motor factors ready to deliver quicker than a Margarita Pizza with extra Pepperoni!
Think about it, if you are a garage owner wouldn’t you want every hour of your available ramp time being used? You are paying your team whether they are busy or not? If you don’t have any down time then well done!! But then why even bother to complain about customers buying online, you don’t need the business anyway?
Maybe embrace change and encourage customers to come to your garage, stick a sign up ‘We Will Fit Your Parts’ and use up every bit of your available ramp time. It could even be argued that it’s fair to charge higher labour rates for this type of work to cover any issues that may arise with wrong parts etc. I suppose the customer decides if he wants to pay your labour rate or not?
The better garages are embracing change, investing in the future through better diagnostic equipment and training to stay ahead of the game and compete with main dealers (The competition). The same competition who many independent garages still buy from, whether directly or through various parts clubs.
By investing in all the above you should be able to command much higher labour rates and then not get too emotional with regards to click and collect type customers?
The world is changing,we are seeing the way we all shop is changing, if we don’t embrace that, then I fear that there is a risk that we are left behind.
Also as a previous comment stated, if you don’t like it you don’t have to buy from companies that trade this way, there are still motor factors out there without an online presence, for now!
why should a garage fit a customer supplied part when they dont know the source of the part? if they fit the part and something fails on the part the garage is liable and may find his public liability insurance void?and also if the garage supplies the part and it fails he will put it right a customer supplies their own part and it fails is the customer going to want to pay labour again as its not the garages fault its failed?
That’s right trade prices for trade only then they they need to get some staff what can do the job and send right parts you waste more time waiting for wrong parts and they think it ok sunderland branch I think they all the same sort it out
OK let’s have a boss who listens to the trade. STOP selling to the public at trade prices or lose the trade but you can not do both. The amount of times we hear customer’s claim they can buy online cheaper than us is not funny anymore.
Whilst there is nothing stopping ECP selling to both the pricing structure has to be set up to give trade discount only to trade and not some Joe off the street with dirty hands.
Why should the trade pay less than the public. This is an archaic practice which is just not sustainable in the age of the internet.
Stop buying from them then. There’s no chance of them stopping click & collect. It makes them a fortune, they don’t care about the pricing structure.
Or maybe garages shouldn’t uplift prices on parts as labour should be what they live off.
The world is changing, I’d focus on not being the last to change, as you’ll lose all your customers by then. The Instagram generation will not buy parts from garages anymore, this I can guarantee. It’ll all be Amazon, eBay and ECP in a few years and price matching will be required unfortunately and margins on parts probably gone completely
Simple solution. NEVER agree to fit customer supplied parts. Don’t like it? Crack on, fit your own.