AutoZone’s Steve Handschuh to Lobby for Right to Repair
The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) has announced that AutoZone executive Steve Handschuh will join the aftermarket industry team promoting the passage of the Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act in the 109th Congress. Handschuh will take a leave of absence from AutoZone, as an “executive on loan,” to help support the campaign for Right to Repair. His primary areas of responsibility will include industry communications, coalition-building and fund-raising.
Executive Interview: Jacques Landreville and Jim Buzzard Talk About the Recent Merger of Uni-Select and MAWDI
Our latest Executive Interview features Jacques Landrevillenand Jim Buzzard. On November 1, Landreville and the Buzzard family completed the merger of Uni-Select and MAWDI. The merger significantly expands Uni-Select’s reach into the U.S., where it will generate revenues of approximately $470 million. As part of the agreement, all current MAWDI and Uni-Select locations will remain under their original names, but at the corporate level MAWDI will operate as a subsidiary of Uni-Select USA. All of the various companies within Uni-Select USA, including MAWDI, will be referred to as Automotive Group USA. Landreville and Buzzard recently spoke with aftermarketNews.com and shared some of the finer details about the future for Uni-Select USA.
Kent Stickley Named Vice President of Marketing for Brake Parts Inc.
Brake Parts Inc. has named aftermarket veteran Kent Stickley as its new vice president of marketing. This announcement was made today by John Washbish, vice president Under Vehicle Group of Dana’s Automotive Aftermarket operation. Stickley, who has more than 25 years of automotive aftermarket experience, comes to Brake Parts Inc. from Prolong International where he has worked since 2002 as vice president of sales and director of sales for the Eastern region.
Canadian Automotive Dealers Capture Increasing Share of Service Business, Says J.D. Power
Much like their U.S. counterparts, Canadian automotive dealerships are becoming more successful at retaining service customers once the basic warranty period expires, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Canadian Customer Commitment Study released this week. The study, which measures the service satisfaction and loyalty of owners of two- to 12-year-old vehicles, finds that dealerships now account for almost one-half (48 percent) of the service visits on four- to seven-year-old vehicles — up from 41 percent in 1999.
Hella North America Names New President and CEO – NAFTA Aftermarket
Wolfgang Benz has been named president and CEO – NAFTA Aftermarket for Hella North America. In this new role, Benz will direct Hella’s North American aftermarket business. Benz joined Hella KG in 1995 as managing director of Hella Aftermarket Operations for the U.K. and Ireland. His automotive career began in 1967 at Robert Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart- Schillerhoehe, Germany, where he served as a sales manager and later export product manager.
Uni-Select Inc. Net Profits Increased by 20.8 Percent in the First Quarter of 2004
Uni-Select Inc. recorded an increase in net profits of 20.8 percent this year to attain U.S. $4.14 million or $0.23 per share compared to $3.43 million or $0.19 per share for the corresponding period a last year. Sales improved to $175.8 million in the first quarter of 2004, an increase of 6.2 percent versus sales of $165.6 million in the first quarter of 2003.
Akebono Product Manager Named Chairman of APRA Brake Division
Robin Gedye, senior product manager – Aftermarket Caliper Products for Akebono Corp., has been named chairman of the Automotive Parts Rebuiders Association (APRA) Brake Division.