Ford’s @first Parts reports sales of £100 million

Ford Retail’s UK parts division, @first Parts, has reported an annual turnover of over £100 million in 2013, the first time since its launch in 2004. According to the company, overall parts sales saw an increase of 14 per cent year-on-year, whist the Trade, Bodyshop and Ford Dealers divisions reported an annual growth of 13 per cent, 22 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.

Ford reports that the 2013 results were driven by a number of key initiatives in 2013. These included the introduction of a sales representative training programme, strategic marketing campaigns, internal development and  promotions from within the management team, as well as broadening the business’ customer base by launching an ‘all makes solution service’ called @first Express.

Jon Harte, managing director for @first Parts, commented: “2013 has been a tremendous year for us and I am delighted to see all of the team’s hard work and strategic planning pay off. 2014 will build on the success of the last 12 months and drive even further growth in the parts business. Key to this will be the national roll out of the @first Express solution, investment in new technologies and sales tools, as well as improved efficiency within the warehouse and logistics operations.”

In November Toyota launched an online parts retail business in conjunction with eBay.