The European Automotive Aftermarket can be characterised from many perspectives – from a ‘brands’ viewpoint, the growth, acceptance, relevance and evolution of the private labels has been a significant feature of the marketplace.
Throughout the 2000s, as trade distributors and retailers grew, private labels traditionally offered a neat and simple way to increase visibility, whilst leveraging buying power and reducing dependency on the power of ‘original brands’.
But in recent years, the role and priorities of distributors have changed – having consolidated their scale, for many the charge for growth has been replaced by a mature, more sustainable goal of sustainable, profitable growth.
Meanwhile, in a world where there’s never been more choice, more complexity, more freely available information, and more urgency (‘time is money’!) the traditional role of brands is re-emerging. Recognised brands shortcut selection and buying decisions – few things offer the same efficacy for the fast communication of quality and price expectation, as a brand.
What does this mean for Category and Brand managers in the Automotive Aftermarket? A key emergent trend is, similarly with other sectors such as FMCG, consumer electronics and clothing retail: exclusive brands. This might seem like semantics but in fact, the creation or acquisition of ‘brands’ in place of where a private label might have traditionally sat is a key growth trend, seen across multiple product categories, in the aftermarket.
Moove Pro-Brands operates a multi-brand portfolio across its lubricants offer – this allows Moove to help satisfy individual category needs, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether it’s finding a price anchor brand or main volume line, we can tailor solutions to fit or re-engineer a category.
If you’d like to discuss your category opportunities for lubricants brands, please contact Moove.