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Kwik-Fit rebrands to take on dealer networks
Date: 23 September 2013 | Author: Jack Carfrae
Kwik-Fit has launched a new branding initiative that will see it take on more mechanical business and position itself as a rival to franchised car dealerships for servicing, MoTs and repairs, rather than simply be a tyre-fitting service, which is how it is more commonly known.
Called Kwik-Fit Plus, the move comprises the refurbishment of existing centres in the home counties with significant investment and the potential to roll out the new centres across its network.
Additional MoT bays, better-trained staff and updated equipment have all been employed, and the firm is also able to take on LCV servicing and repair work as a result of the changes.
The company's fleet director, Peter Lambert, told BusinessCar: "The biggest difference between the way we had historically worked and Kwik-Fit Plus is being able to handle complex work because of the structure of the slow-fit [non-MoT and tyre work] team.
"Typically, we just had one or two MoT bays and we didn't have the depth of knowledge you'd normally have in a franchised dealer.
"Most important of all is that we now have master technicians at each centre. Normally, there'd be one master technician for 10 centres, so they could have been delayed in getting to a site etc. Now we've got a master technician on site, we can fix anything during a service. We can complete all mechanical work to time and we can do it all on site."
The company is targeting the fleet sector with the move, as Lambert explained: "Particularly with the contract hire industry, the last thing they want is negative feedback from one of their drivers. A company car driver doesn't want any hassle.
"Things like getting your car back and the service light hasn't gone out - you have to go back and get it sorted, and that's hassle you don't want. The most important person in the whole process is the company car driver - but he's not paying for it! We're now going to fleet customers and saying, 'why don't you try a pilot with us?'"
The rebrand has been trialled in eight centres and a further 17 Kwik-Fit sites in the South-East will become 'Plus' centres by early 2014.
Slough and Brentwood are the first two official Plus centres and Lambert stated that there was the potential for 150 such sites by the end of 2015.
