Road Warriors

By Laura Michaels

Systemwide sales for automotive aftermarket franchises, a category that includes everything from auto repair and oil change companies to detailing and tire sales, increased 7.8 percent in 2019, the biggest boost in five years. Auto repair, which accounts for nearly $4 billion, was up 5.1 percent, with Christian Brothers Automotive leading the way with its 20 percent sales increase. Josh Barker, franchise development director, said store performance coaches help franchisees analyze revenue and identify opportunities to drive profitability. “Our franchisee to support team ratio sits just under 2 to 1,” said Barker. “That’s a pretty aggressive number.” The average unit volume for a mature location grew to $1.7 million in 2019. Midas, the largest brand in the repair segment, grew its sales 3.0 percent to $1.55 billion. RNR Tire Express had a standout year, with systemwide sales up 13.1 percent to $184 million.

Firing on all cylinders

Laura Michaels

Oil change franchises accounted for a bigger slice of the automotive aftermarket pie in 2019 with $3.4 billion in sales. Collision repair brands added $1.7 million to the category, car parts providers brought in $433 million and windshield repair added $310 million. Oil changers Grease Monkey and SpeeDee, both franchised by Full Speed Automotive, led the segment in sales growth, with 24.1 percent and 18.7 percent, respectively. Those two brands are also the major climbers in the rankings, with Grease Monkey up 26 spots to No. 241 and SpeeDee up 22 spots to No. 328. Ralph Yarusso, chief development officer for Grease Monkey, noted the brand didn’t have any closures last year, added 16 locations and continued to emphasize its advanced manager training course. Franchisees, said Yarusso, pay to send their store managers to Grease Monkey’s Denver headquarters, where they’re taught “everything from the right way to answer the phone to how to present the products and their benefits” to customers. As a result, ticket averages are up, along with car counts. “We’ve seen all the KPIs growing at the same time,” he said.