Kwik Fit opens 10th branch in Hungary

Kwik Fit has begun automotive repairs and servicing at its 10th location in Hungary, with the addition of a new centre in Kecskemét.

The opening ceremony for the centre was performed by Olympic medal winning wrestler Norbert Növényi and István Bogasov, Kecskemét city councillor, who joined centre owner Gyorgy Meszaros to mark the start of operations. Gyorgy Meszaros is running the Kecskemét centre under a franchise agreement with Kwik Fit Hungary. Meszaros has operated a car dealership on the site since 2003 and saw a Kwik Fit franchise as a way to offer customers a full range of automotive maintenance and repair services under an internationally respected brand.

The Kwik Fit Hungary network is operated by Autonet Hungary KFT under a master franchise agreement. Kwik Fit Hungary operates six company owned centres and three other franchise units in Budapest (five locations), Budaörs, Baja, Győr and Sopron.

The company’s operations director, Marx Karoly, said: “We are delighted to be opening our centre in Kecskemét, and making the Kwik Fit offering available to more Hungarian motorists. We are continuing to build our network and would welcome interest from any independent garage owners or tyre retailers who would like to operate their centres in Hungary under the Kwik Fit brand. Kwik Fit Hungary will launch two additional centres later in 2017 with the vision of operating 55 by 2025.”

The franchisees benefits from access to an internationally strong brand which has 45 years of experience and know-how from over 750 centres to draw on. That heritage has allowed the company to build up extensive supply chain knowledge and well-developed operational, reporting and sales processes in order to deliver the highest quality of customer service.

Gyorgy Meszaros said: “I have been in charge of car dealerships since 1991 and have seen many changes within the market. As cars become ever more technical, it is vital that service centres have both the latest equipment and the skilled staff to meet their customers’ needs. By joining Kwik Fit as a franchisee, we get access to the most up to date industry developments and the support of an international network. The flexibility of their approach means that we were able to fit a brand new Kwik Fit centre seamlessly alongside our existing M+F Auto operations.”

Kwik Fit centres in Hungary look like and operate on the same principles as those in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. There is scope for different formats within the franchise agreement, from centres offering a full range of tyre replacement and limited mechanical services to offering an extensive range of Tyre & mechanical services. Customers of the network in Hungary will also benefit from the Kwik Fit European Guarantee – any work carried out by a Kwik Fit in one European country is automatically guaranteed in any Kwik Fit across Europe.

Kwik Fit is the market leader in the UK and the Netherlands with over 750 centres operating under the Kwik Fit brand. It has also recently launched a franchise agreement in Italy, with its first Italian centre opening in Milan in April. It has a target of 20 franchises to be opened in Italy by the end of the year, with the longer term aim of up to 200 centres by 2025.