The European car aftermarket will be facing major upheavals.
The market is characterized by an increasing competitive pressure and a strong concentration process along with decreasing margins and growing costs. With its „Car Aftermarket Europe Report 2012“, wolk after sales experts GmbH, a consultancy specialized in the car aftermarket, introduces the latest available data on market structures, volumes and trends for 35 European countries.
The incentive of this study is to provide substantive guidance and decision-making support in order to achieve more success for its readers.

„The European aftersales market is faced with massive changes“,

says Helmut Wolk, CEO of wolk after sales experts, with respect to his company’s second „Car Aftermarket Report“. „The present study is based on our comprehensive and vast data base. It shows that the increasing competition will lead to a further decrease in parts margins and to rising costs for parts manufacturers and parts wholesalers combined with a progressive consolidation of after-sales markets.“ With this elaborate and significantly further developed report, the company offers its partners – from industry to garage- market data and trends at affordable prices. These data help to develop future-oriented strategies, concepts and measures.
The „Car Aftermarket Europe Report 2012“ supersedes wolk after sales experts’ 2009 report and for the second time gives insight into the market structures and volumes of the European aftermarket while providing extensive transparency in this market segment.
Country specific characteristics are displayed and the different dimensions of OES and IAM after-sales markets are pointed out in this study. The international federation of independent automotive aftermarket wholesalers and retailers (FIGIEFA), to which the German Association of the Automotive Parts Trade (GVA e.V.) belongs, too, is a cooperation-partner for this project.

Market analysis: high learning effects on companies

With this detailed data preparation, wolk after sales experts has acquired a unique selling point on the car aftermarket, because the 2012 report furthermore compares the recent data with the developments of previous years and forecasts the most influential trends until 2015.
Helmut Wolk: „Our latest Car Aftermarkets Europe Report offers an insight into the aftermarket which otherwise only a few international corporations could afford. In addition to that, the recent study allows clients to seize the market from a „helicopter view“ while most other actors mainly conceive the respective markets from the viewpoint of their individual products. This kind of „expert view“ will become more and more important against the background of stagnating and declining tendencies in aftermarket-activities (both OES and IAM) regarding volume markets throughout Europe.
Wolk is sure. „Nonetheless, the analysis of individual aftermarkets has its advantages. It enables the market actors to learn and to draw their very own conclusions from the provided material“, he explains. „ In the course of the on-going process of concentration and the internationalization resulting from this, an intrinsic knowledge of not only one’s national market, but of neighboring markets as well, will become increasingly important for aftermarket actors, especially for parts wholesalers – no matter, whether they themselves want to expand, or because they want to block harmful competition from neighboring countries. 

Valuable guidance for market actors

Today, many companies are faced with a myriad of details concerning their individual aftermarkets. „Here, too, our study helps to pick out the elements that are relevant for their own work from the flood of information confronting them. Users that order the full 2012 report will get a summary of all 35 countries – evaluated by country clusters EU15, EU 27 and Europe as a whole (35) incl. Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and former Yugoslavian countries. In addition to this, a „who-is-who“ of all European big players in the field of aftermarket is provided“, the executives at wolk after sales experts inform us. Short country-by-country company profiles for the most important actors are included in the study.

The CAE Aftermarket Report is one of four product lines provided by wolk after sales experts. The study is derived from the company’s unique aftermarket data base. In addition to this, the consultancy offers a so-called „car parts calculator“ – a tool that calculates market volumes for 70 individual products and considers regional clusters in 35 European countries. The offer is completed by a „European address database“ which features about 285,000 garages and 2,500 of the biggest parts wholesalers.

In planning: „Aftermarket Barometer Europe“

In addition to the study, an aftersales congress focusing on the megatrends in the aftermarket is planned. Furthermore, an opinion research tool named „Aftermarket Barometer“ as well as an „Aftermarket SWOT-analysis by country“ are in preparation in order to complement wolk after sales experts’ range of services concerning the Car Aftermarket Europe Report (CAE).

The CAE report is available as flipping e-book (readable only online) and as printed version for users.
Prices: Complete report for 35 European countries: 13, 625 Euros; report per country: from 715 to 1, 415 Euros.
Subscription price: (CAE report 2012 + CAE report 2014): 11,650 Euros per report. FIGIEFA- and CLEPA-members are charged a reduced price

wolk after sales experts at a glance

The aftermarket’s trendsetting company has more than 30 years of experience in the field. This is the know-how that ensures profitable, practicable, and secure solutions. With a team of 40 trusty specialists, wolk after sales experts is able to identify and successfully design the future ways of the aftermarket. Independent studies help the company to be always ahead of the competition. This package of extensive experience, independent studies and data bases ensures secure and valuable information, consulting, and implementation of measures for the company’s clients. Wolk after sales experts analyzes the automotive aftermarket in detail and develops individual and future-oriented solutions for companies in this sector – be they manufacturer, wholesalers or repair shops. The customers receive constant support in implementing their projects. Wolk after sales experts’ core competence covers the complete automotive after sales market. The company’s focus is on car service, car parts, equipment, tires, car glass, and chemistry.
Learn more: www.wolk-aftersales.com