Midas franchise
| by Tristan Wiggill
20 Questions with
Midas Vryburg
aBr posed 20 questions to George Apostolellis to find out
➲ Business hours have been slightly extended
more about his thriving Vryburg business.
Midas would like to commend the
Apostolellis family for representing the brand
so eloquently, ably demonstrating the group’s
values in the North West Province. The team
in Vryburg are essentially an extension of the
larger Midas family, and we are proud and
honoured to have them in our stable
➲ Staff are well trained
What is the full name of the business?
Vryburg Spares cc t/a Randburg Midas
When was the company established?
The business was bought on 25 July
1980 by Costa and Charlie Apostolellis.
The previous owner named it Randburg
Battery House (he was from Randburg in
the then Transvaal) and the name stuck.
Back then our store was about 600m2.
Who are the owners of the business?
We are a family owned business Apostolellis family.
What does the business specialise in?
We have a passion for aftermarket motor
spares and everything that Midas has to
offer the customer and at all times try to
offer a one-stop solution to our customers.
We have over the years diversified into
Stihl equipment, a fully fledged paint
department (automotive, industrial and
decorative) and machinery and welding
equipment.
When did the business become Midas
franchisees? 1985. We joined the
franchise in the early days.
Why did you become Midas
franchisees? Being NAPA members
since inception meant becoming a Midas
franchise was a logical step
How does being a Midas franchisee
help the business? The Midas name has
for long been synonymous with quality and
service in the aftermarket parts sector.
- Gerhard Braun; Midas franchise director
That has enabled us to leverage off this
and launch other departments. We are of
course very selective with products that
we sell as this could have an impact on the
Midas brand - as such we always strive to
partner with “best of breed” when selecting
suppliers and products.
How did you hear about Midas
franchising? Through NAPA
How many staff does the business
employ on a permanent basis? 40
How big is the business in terms of floor
space (approximately)? 2500m2
What is business in general like at the
moment? Business in South Africa is in
a state of flux and as such being able to
adapt to change is an advantage.
What are the popular brands/products
in the store? Brand names like Chevron,
Monroe, Fram, Willard, Hella and Shell to
name a few spring to mind.
Do you perform deliveries? If so, how
often? We deliver every day in Vryburg and
our district and send trucks to collect many
of our goods in JHB, PTA and BFN.
In your opinion, what is required in order
to run a successful business like yours?
Passion for the products we sell and
dedication to our customers.
What do you like most about being a
Midas franchisee? The extensive pool of
expertise that lies within the group and the
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team spirit that goes with it. Over the years
we have developed strong relationships with
people in Midas Group and see them as an
integral part of our business.
What differences/advantages have you
noticed since joining the Midas group?
Being part of an energetic team that is at the
forefront of the market in which they operate.
Who are your biggest clients? Private
individuals, taxi market? We are fortunate
to have a fairly equal spread amongst all our
customer types and see this as an advantage
as our dependency on any one customer
type is reduced.
What are the business hours? 07.30 am
- 17.15 pm (Mon-Fri); 8.00 am - 13.00 pm
Saturdays.
What sets your business apart from
other spares outlets? Accessibility.
As owners we have an open door policy with
all our customers and are always on hand to
solve any issues our customers may have.
We find that by constantly interacting with
our customers we are able to improve our
service and product offering.
What are the biggest considerations for
your customers? Price, quality, service,
back up and support, warranties or
something else? All of the above are very
important with the addition of breadth and
depth in the range of parts that we carry.
We strive to fulfil our customer’s needs.
Our sales staff are also well trained.
october 2014