UAN has produced a pie chart, shown in the secure section of the website

...showing the UK market share of all the significant players including: Rapid Group, IFA, Parts Alliance, Andrew Page group, ECP, Unipart, GSF, Group Auto, MPD and even PDP.

The figures have been acquired by firstly gaining copies of the last filed accounts of all companies. Where these are NOT abbreviated, the turnover has been shown as filed. Where only abbreviated accounts are available, UAN has applied a formula, and then checked the accuracy of this with ALL its distributors.

Once the accuracy of this formula had been established, UAN applied it to all the other groups to establish exactly where UAN is positioned in the UK Aftermarket.

Estimated turnover of all the aftermarket distributors is £2.5b

In terms of the buying groups, Group Auto is estimated to have 19%, Parts Alliance 13%, UAN 10%, IFA 9%, Rapid Group 6%, with PDP having less than 2% of the market.
ECP, Andrew Page Group and MPD collectively share around 27% of the total market.

As the market place changes, it becomes increasingly clear that an independent distributor either needs to be large enough to negotiate their own terms, or to be part of one of the larger buying groups.

Group Auto, Parts Alliance, UAN and the IFA have all begun to look at how to further extend their purchasing power into Europe as they have all recognised that even with double digit market share, in the long term purchasing power will be determined by the largest European players.

Groups such as PDP that have seen their collective turnover half in the last two years and now represent less than 2% of the UK Market will have to change dramatically or simply go out of existence. Proprietary European suppliers can have NO long term interest in groups that have such a small share of the market, which is why they will only progress by approving third and fourth tier suppliers. This may suit their members in the short term, but will inevitably lead to just lower prices and lower profits.

A common misconception is that where groups operate with a management fee, their members are somehow disadvantaged. Time and time again this myth has been disproved as members regularly move to UAN and other groups with a central function, comment on how their terms have improved. Suppliers understand that a management fee needs to be charged for these groups to provide support in marketing, rebate collection, sales support etc. This simply does NOT impact on a distributors buying price or rebate.

Commenting on the market changes Rachael Dickinson said “The market place continues to change at a faster pace than at any other time in our ten years. UAN will be at the forefront of these changes and will continue to grow its business in the best way to ensure prosperity for suppliers and distributors alike. All of us need to look to the future and understand exactly who the long term market players will be and to ensure we do not make short term decisions”