Kwik-Fit Reports Booming Business

Kwik-Fit Fleet reports that corporate demand for its range of non-core services – vehicle servicing, MoTs and brake inspection and replacement – has soared in the first six months of 2008. In addition an increasing number of businesses and company car and van drivers are reported to be turning to Kwik-Fit Mobile for tyre repair and replacement and tyre safety checks taking demand to unprecedented levels. Kwik-Fit Fleet anticipates this demand will continue to rise as companies review their fleet operating policies in light of the continuing credit crunch.

Kwik-Fit Fleet introduced vehicle servicing and MoTs to fleet cars and vans two years ago, following a retail pilot. Earlier this year, growing corporate demand for the company to regularly service company cars and vans led to it improve its offering to businesses with the launch of its ‘While U Wait’ manufacturers’ service initiative. The 275,000 strong vehicle fleet belonging to Lex, the UK’s largest contract hire and leasing company, was the first to benefit from this new initiative.

During the first half of the year the company’s fleet sector vehicle servicing shot up 67 per cent compared with the first six months of last year, while the number of MoTs carried out on fleet vehicles increased 27 per cent. Kwik-Fit has gradually increased the number of ‘high street’ centres that undertake both servicing and MoT work. The company currently has 335 MoT sites and by year-end plans to have about 420 with an average 15 sites per month being equipped to undertake MoTs. Meanwhile, 343 Kwik-Fit centres are now equipped to undertake vehicle servicing with the number also set to rise to approximately 420 by the end of 2008.

Brake-related work on company cars and vans rose 24 per cent in the first half of 2008, compared with the first six months of last year. It is now more than four years since Kwik-Fit Fleet launched its brake initiative, intended to secure it a significant slice of the £100 million UK company car brake replacement market.

Head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, Mike Wise, said: “The growth in our non-core services is fantastic. The figures indicate that the rigidity of franchise dealers in terms of both their opening hours and appointment wait time is unattractive to fleets and their drivers.

“Our longer daily opening hours and the fact centres are open seven days a week is attractive to the hectic schedules of many company car and van drivers and their businesses. In addition, the fact that for some of our services are available on a ‘pop in’ basis, while others, such are servicing, are available within 48 hours is very appealing.”