Despite increased consolidation and digitalisation in the global automotive aftermarket business, Bapcor Group remains committed to expanding its branch footprint within the New Zealand market to better service its customers.
The company operates from more than 80 locations in New Zealand and 2019 revenue exceeded $200 million.
For those people unfamiliar with the Bapcor Group, it is a solely trade focused automotive aftermarket supplier which owns brands such as BNT, HCB Technologies, Autolign, Diesel Distributors, JAS Oceania NZ, The Shock Shop, Truck and Trailer Parts (TATP), Battery Town, and Precision Equipment.
The BNT brand is a general supplier of parts and sundries to the automotive aftermarket, HCB Technologies and Battery Town specialise in replacement batteries for all vehicle types, while Truck and Trailer Parts (TATP) are specialists in heavy commercial vehicles.
The Autolign brand focuses on suspension and under car parts, while JAS is a specialist supplier of automotive electrical and electronics.
Diesel Distributors supplies diesel injection and electronic parts to passenger and heavy commercial repairers while Precision Equipment focuses on the supply and installation of workshop equipment from the Rotary and Summit brands.
In the past 18 months Bapcor Group has opened eight additional branches across New Zealand in an effort to get even closer to customers and meet their requirements.
It has recently co-located BNT and Truck and Trailer Parts (TATP) to new super stores in Manukau and Christchurch.
It has opened new BNT stores in Silverdale, Cambridge, Taupo, Tauriko, Fielding and Upper Hutt, and also relocated to a new Autolign store in Manukau.
BNT Mount Maunganui has been relocated to a new site and the BNT Whakatane and Whanganui sites were expanded to accommodate an increased TATP commercial parts presence.
“We will continue to expand our footprint, particularly where we see a gap in the market where one of our brands ought to be, we will actively seek out a suitable site for that to happen, to ensure we can best service the needs of our customers,” Bapcor New Zealand group marketing manager Geoff Dawson says.
“We are purely trade focused, we’ve never entertained the idea of being a retailer, and thanks to our group of specialty businesses we have a very comprehensive offer to the aftermarket,” he says.
“Our customers like the ability to walk into any of our branches and know that there is a trusted advisor behind the counter who knows what they are talking about.
Our customers value the experience of talking to like-minded people with the technical knowledge to assist them.
“Because of the brands specialisation we can offer a solution to every part of the automotive sectors, and we are continually looking at emerging technology from a product perspective, bringing new ranges to market so we can satisfy customer requirements.
“We are continually evaluating New Zealand car parts because the challenge for the automotive aftermarket is to satisfy the needs of second-hand imported vehicles from Japan.
For example, there may be 10 imported units of one model which takes a unique set of brake pads, and while we will do our best to stock such items, sometimes it’s not always possible.
“However, thanks to access to global suppliers we can normally get unique parts sent quickly.
Dawson also points out that the Bapcor Group recognises that there are different needs within the automotive aftermarket and the company endeavours to cover all aspects and price points to meet the needs of its customers.
In 2019 Bapcor expanded its own brand activity with the introduction of Ultima shocks, a widened Trans pad range, Motorgear timing kits and water pumps and the Superiol lubricants range.
The company also extended its range of products in the engine, steering, suspension, and electrical categories.
“We cater to premium service centres who want the best products for their customer’s vehicles but we’ve also catered to the mid-tier by introducing good quality products but at a lower price point to allow workshops to more easily and affordably service older cars,” Dawson says.
Bapcor NZ has further shown its commitment to the trade through its financial support of the Auto Super Shoppes Automotive Academy, which seeks to provide a pipeline of skilled and technically-equipped graduates to the automotive industry.
