Febi Bilstein has acquired Automotive Distributors Ltd, home of the Blue Print brand of aftermarket parts.

ADL’s existing board of directors and management team remain in place, with the exception of outgoing Chairman Chris Jeffries who retires after leading ADL for more than 27 years.

ADL was bought out from Mazda cars Ltd in 1988, since when it has established itself as a leading supplier to the European aftermarket of Japanese and Korean parts and a major importer from the Far East. The company launched the Blue Print brand in 1994.

As part of the bilstein group, ADL will focus on developing Blue Print as an international specialist brand of parts for Japanese, Korean and American vehicles.

ADL’s Managing Director, Daren Ambrose, said: “Customers and suppliers won’t notice any immediate changes as a result of ADL’s change of ownership,” he said. “We are the same company, with the same team in place and we will continue to focus on our core specialism of parts for Japanese, Korean and American vehicles. We are going to take the time to meet with customers and key suppliers throughout the next few months to give them a chance to ask questions and for us to have an opportunity to allay any concerns.”

Febi Bilstein’s Managing Director, Karsten Schü