GSF Car Parts has hosted another successful trade evening for garage customers, this time at its Milton Keynes branch. The event, which took place from 6-10pm on Thursday 6 April 2017, attracted around 70 independent garages.
The spring issue of Garage Essentials, the tools and equipment brochure from The Parts Alliance, is available now to view online. Printed copies of the 76 page quarterly garage equipment brochure will be arriving at of The Parts Alliance members Allparts, Bromsgrove Motor Factors, Car Parts & Accessories, CES, GMF, GSF Car Parts, SAS Autoparts, SC Motor Factors and Waterloo.
GSF Car Parts has launched what its claims is its “best ever line-up” of air conditioning solutions. Available to review in full in the spring issue of ‘Garage Essentials’ in April, the new air-con units, which include labour-saving automation, leak detection, vehicle databases and on-board printers, appear alongside a comprehensive range of workshop equipment, available from members of The Parts Alliance.
GSF Car Parts has seen a late spike in interest from garage technicians eager to comply with the new 2017 CPD requirements imposed on all MOT testers by DVSA, ahead of an end of March deadline. Under the changes, which come into effect for the first time this year, MOT testers will no longer need to attend the five-yearly refresher course but are instead now required to complete annual training and assessment.
GSF Car Parts has completed a skiing trip to France’s Val d’Isere resort for 60 customers, suppliers and members of the GSF management team. Key personnel from invited supporting suppliers such as Banner, Sogefi, Brembo, Elstock, Schaeffler and Tetrosyl attended, though most of the travelling party were invited from GSF’s trade customer base of independent garages.
National motor factor GSF Car Parts is celebrating its first birthday after seeing sales surge on the Vetech multi-fleet engine oils launched in 2016. The standard service life (5W30 SSL Pro) and extended service life (5W30 ESL Pro) formulations were launched in March 2016. Vetech high performance C4 (5W30 SLX Pro) extended service interval engine oil followed a few months later, as the high demand for the oils became clear.
GSF Car Parts has confirmed the January holiday winners from their ‘Here Comes Summer’ garage promotion. At the end of each month in the first quarter of 2017 a winner will be drawn from all those trade customers who have registered for the promotion and then met an agreed monthly spend target. January’s winner was VW, Audi and Skoda specialist Aire Valley Workshop in Skipton, a long-standing customer of GSF’s bustling Bradford branch.
GSF Car Parts say this winter has seen record sales on their workshop heater programme from Z M Heaters, with sales rising by over 40 per cent. The success has been attributed to two key causes; first has been the growing support of The Parts Alliance. Since September, the trading group has moved to adopt the Garage Essentials programme created by GSF across the trading group. This has seen 90 more branches of CES, GMF, Allparts, Car Parts & Accessories, SC Motor Factors, SAS Autoparts, Waterloo and BMF gain access to the heater programme.
GSF Car Parts’ long-serving Poole branch manager Paul Snook has been stepping up his training ahead of the London Marathon on 23rd April, after opting to enter the gruelling race to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Research Centre. Paul started running just three years ago but has quickly progressed from fun runs, up to 5km, then 10km and even half marathons. The London Marathon he readily admits will be the ‘ultimate challenge’.
GSF Car Parts has added a second Sealey tool van after enjoying great success with the first one, launched to trial the concept around 12 months ago.
The new long wheel base Citroen Relay is again co-branded with ‘Garage Essentials’ and Sealey livery. This time, a closer look reveals the logos of The Parts Alliance and the other member businesses too.
GSF Car Parts has taken delivery of 12 more Peugeot Partner vans at its Birmingham head office, replacing its local delivery vehicles over four years old. The upgrade also marked the start of a rolling programme to exchange all older vans across the entire GSF Car Parts network of 65 branches during 2017. A total overall investment of £3.5 million is planned on 350 Peugeot Partner vans, which will see around 60 per cent of the current GSF van fleet renewed.
Having invited thousands of independent garages to participate in its biggest ever customer incentive giveaway, GSF Car Parts has announced that ASG Garages is its final ‘Cars and Stars’ winner, taking home a brand-new Peugeot 108.
The national promotion, which aims to support GSF’s thriving independent garage customer base, has seen 1240 garages from across the country win up to £500 per month in Love2Shop vouchers, as well as being entered into the main prize draw, having achieved an agreed monthly spend target with the motor factor.
GSF Car Parts’ Vetech braking programme, which offers a trusted brake friction solution to garages for price-sensitive work, has grown quickly throughout 2016 according to the company. The range of pads has been developed significantly over the last 18 months and now includes 550 references, with the focus on covering popular cars that are three years and older.
GSF Car Parts has hosted its final customer event for 2016, with an evening dinner for around 100 people at Sulgrave Manor, the Tudor and Georgian house built by ancestors of first US President George Washington. Hosted by members of the GSF team, the group of area managers were kept busy cooking and catering to eager dinners, under the expert guidance of professional chefs. Accommodation was provided locally for those that wanted to stay – and the party lasted late into the evening.
GSF Car Parts has taken delivery of a new Valeo branded van for its Stoke branch. The joint-branded livery on the Peugeot Bipper integrates GSF branding alongside key messages from Valeo. The global parts giant’s current ‘multi-specialist’ livery has been designed to reinforce the breadth of product range available to UK garages.
