Autobarn Member Update
| by Tristan Wiggill
The people’s choice
Autobarn members
and family-run parts
retail experts, Parts
People Newcastle,
are committed to
satisfying each and
every automotive
requirement.
W
hile the company
has the largest
selection of
quality new passenger car,
commercial vehicle and
heavy duty truck parts in stock, it’s the
company’s focused approach to after sales
service that sets it apart.
The aptly named Parts People business
was started in Newcastle in 1996 by
Mahesh Shah’s father, Suren Shah. Two
years later, Mahesh joined the business
and has effectively taken
control, not looking
back since. However,
Parts People was dealt
a tremendous blow in
November 2011 when
the outlet was completely
gutted by a devastating
fire. But, by 26 December
of the same year, the
business was up and
running again, albeit this
time in a larger shop a
stone’s throw away.
Parts People quickly moved on, becoming
Autobarn members in 2012. “We were part
of the Mikar buying group with Terry Brand.
In fact, we were part of the advisory council
at Mikar, and were invited to meet the
Australian Autobarn contingent with Terry
when Autobarn Australia visited South
Africa in 2012 as part of their local launch,”
he explains.
“Doing business alone is difficult and it’s
hard to develop a national identity. With the
backing of Autobarn this has been taken
care of. We believe that customers have
faith in a recognised brand like Autobarn
and we wanted to be a part of something
great. Joining Autobarn was a logical step,”
he explains.
➲ Parts People have made their mark in Newcastle
Mahesh tells us that the parts retail
business is currently good, but that
customer service is the company’s main
differentiator. “I’ve always said that anyone
can sell car parts. It’s the service that we
provide that really counts. We don’t dwell
on anything and we’ve taken a long-term
view.”
➲ Queues at the counters are a common sight
Parts People currently employs
18 permanent staff members but has
resisted the temptation to expand its
range of services, choosing to rather
focus on parts retail. As Mahesh explains:
“We don’t want to lose focus and be
distracted by other things, we’d rather
specialise and narrow our focus to
provide the best possible service to our
customers.”
Mahesh lauds Autobarn for its ability to
procure good deals and build important
relationships.
“Autobarn helps us secure the best
possible products and puts us in contact
with people and brands that we would have
otherwise not had contact with.”
While Autobarn handles national marketing,
Parts People does its own localised
marketing. “Autobarn does the groundwork
and assists us achieve better
pricing and helps with product
giveaways,” he says.
“We appreciate that Autobarn
members have a lot of say
and a big role to play in the
procurement of products.
We recently went over to
China with the guys from
head office to see the various
products for ourselves. As
members we are also invited
to major product functions
and meetings etc.”
“The guys at head office are doing a
sterling job with Autobarn and the bigger
players and buying groups have begun
to notice,” he says with a measure of
satisfaction.
All things considered, it looks
as though Parts People will
remain the people’s favourite
for many years to come.
For more information on Autobarn, contact Terry Brand on 011 477 3612.
| words in action
68
may 2014