Dublin-based market research resource company, Research and Markets has included the “Automotive Parts & Accessories Stores” report to its portfolio.
The 2012 report on the US auto parts and accessories stores market begins with an industry overview and includes opportunities, challenges, business trends, financial information and business forecast.
A huge chunk of retail market share is taken up by auto parts which accounts for nearly 50% of the total market share followed by auto supplies at 12% and auto lubricants and auto batteries pegged at 6% each. The US automotive parts industry is estimated to bring in annual revenue of $45 billion, 50% of which is generated by 50 of the largest companies in the US. Of the 40,000 establishments that include multiple units of single companies and single-location companies, the major players are O'Reilly Automotive, AutoZone, The Pep Boys and Advance Auto Parts. The major retail players outside the US are Halfords Group in the UK, ATU Auto-Teile-Unger in Germany, AUTOBACS SEVEN and Yellow Hat in Japan and Super Cheap Auto in Australia.
The report outlines the competitive landscape of the industry. Players comprise retailers of used and new automobile parts. Tires are excluded from the scope of the report and covered under a separate profile. Demand for automobile parts is fuelled by age of the vehicles and is inversely proportional to the sale of new cars. With average annual revenue per employee valued at $127,000, the labor intensive industry’s profitability is determined by marketing techniques and inventory management. Large companies employ economies of scale by purchasing and distributing in bulk. Small companies deal in specialized parts and offer extra services to compete effectively with bigger players.