Our round-up of the week’s top stories kicks off with some good news for a change. In our top story this week, Uni-Select reported a 32 percent increase in sales for the fourth quarter. The distribution group reported sales of $373.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, an increase of 32.1 percent compared to sales of $283 million in 2007. Uni-Select reported an increase in sales for the year as well. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2008, sales were $1.3 billion, an increase of $149 million or 12.7 percent over the same period last year.
More positive news this week came from the AIM distribution group as well as from brake supplier FDP, which announced that it has been named a “Primary Supplier” for the Automotive Distribution Network. FDP Brake Products, which is based in Tappahannock, Va., will supply the Network with the AutoSaver brand of disc brake pads and the Parts Plus brand of brake shoes.
On Wednesday, AIM Group announced the launch of a new Co-Man program with Prime Automotive. The program, which began in late February, is a value-added service for members paying monthly dues. As a member of the AIM Group, the lines that are co-managed will be shipped from Prime Automotive as part of a combined freight program. Benefits of the program include quicker delivery, better cash flow and lower inventory.
And depending on how you look at it, we have more good news this week for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., after a plan to steal trade secrets from the tiremaker was thwarted. Two engineers from Wyko Tire Technology Inc. in Greenback, Tenn., have been indicted on charges of conspiring to steal trade secrets from Goodyear and scheming to defraud the company of confidential and proprietary information. Clark Alan Roberts, 46, and Sean Edward Howley, 38, were arrested and arraigned in Federal Court last week. If convicted of all charges, the defendants each face a maximum of 150 years in prison and $2.75 million in fines.
The final news item in our weekly wrap-up comes from market research firm The NPD Group, which revealed the year-end 2008 results from its Automotive Aftermarket Industry Monitor, which tracks store level purchase data from more than 18,000 auto parts stores in the U.S. According to the report, Milwaukee topped the list for 2008, with a 9.4 percent growth rate from 2007, while Phoenix capped the low-end of the list, losing 6.2 percent in 2008. The list highlights the fact that the aftermarket is not homogenous, with a number of different factors coming into play based on the market, according to David Portalatin, director of industry analysis for NPD’s automotive aftermarket unit.
