The Garage 360

Under the Spotlight
Service is key at
Car Spares Factors
Car Spares Factors is one of the oldest
independent suppliers to garages
in country. The Garage meets with
Director Sanjiv Shah and discovers the
secret of their success.
What’s the history of Car Spares Factors?
My father Kanti and his brothers started the company in 1977,
setting up a little shop in Drayton Park called Alpha Automotive
Spares. As they got busier and expanded, they ended up
buying all the shops next door to each other until they had a
10,000 square foot shop. They were serving and delivering to
all the garages in the area and throughout London.
My brother and cousin joined the business in the 80’s and
soon after we made our first acquisition, buying Car Spares
Finchley. We’ve been steadily growing since then with our most
recent purchase Saxons Motor Factors last year. Customers
can view a full timeline of the business in our brochure.
You’re over 47 years’ old, what does the business look
like today?
Me and my brother Avnish took over the running of the business
four years ago. We now have seven branches covering North
London, Hertfordshire, Essex and Middlesex. We’re extremely
busy serving our regular and new customers but always on the
lookout for expansion.
Heading towards you’re 50th year of trading, what’s
the secret to your success?
Consistency of delivering a quality service. Most of our key
staff have been with us over 20 years, and many customers
for decades. They’ve built relationships with our customers
and know our products inside out giving out technical advice.
Of course, it’s not just sales. Our warehouse is stocked with
products we know our customers need. We aim to deliver
products within the hour if it’s local and within two hours if it’s
transferred from another branch. Our customers know we won’t
let them down.
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