Kwik Fit reaches 44 branches in Italy

After opening its 40th centre in 2018, Kwik-Fit has announced that it now has 44 centres running under the Kwik Fit brand in Italy, exceeding growth forecasts. The company broke through the 10 branch barrier in October 2017. The long-term goal is to reach 200 centres.

Kwik Fit Italy is run as a partnership between Kwik Fit and CDG-ONE Srl, a tyre distributor owned by Segema SpA (Magri Gomme Group). The two parties agreed to introduce the Kwik Fit brand into the Italian market as a franchised network in 2016. With its 44 centres, Kwik Fit is already one of the largest franchise retail chains in Italy and has a presence in 13 of the 20 regions, from Lombardy to Sicily.

Among the most recent additions to the network is Saccon Gomme, an important and historic company with three centres in the Veneto region.

All Kwik Fit centres were already successfully operating as independent individual companies, and in most cases they did so for many years, but their owners recognised the benefits of becoming a Kwik Fit franchisee. Since the beginning of the business under the Kwik Fit brand, the centres have obtained the support of the master CDG-ONE franchisee in marketing, operations, training and supply chain agreements, all elements that contribute to increasing the profitability of their business.

Federico Tebaldini, CEO of CDG-ONE, said: “We have agreed the partnership with an ambitious goal – to build a network of over 200 Kwik Fit centres in Italy. Exceeding 40 centres is a significant result and is testament to the support we have received from Kwik Fit, the attractiveness of the brand and the strength of the team we have built.

“In the last two years we have received many requests from operators interested in joining the Kwik Fit network, and those that are already operating have seen great benefits. All those who now manage franchisees with the Kwik Fit brand have seen improvements in the business performance of their centres and this is bound to grow even stronger as Italian drivers become more aware of the brand and what it offers. Further awareness of the brand will come as we continue to grow the Kwik Fit footprint across the country.”

The newest Kwik Fit centres are owned by the Saccon family. Cristiano Saccon said: “For the Saccon Gomme team, tyre culture and customer safety are the key of every strategic choice and Kwik Fit is the ideal partner in our journey. The goal is to create a reference centre for our customers where they can take full care of their vehicle and tyres. Kwik Fit offers the best choice of products to meet the needs of our customers. Cutting-edge technology and constant training for its workforce keeps the business ahead of competitors in the automotive field”.

The Kwik Fit centres in Italy have the same look and feel and operate according to the same principles as those of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. There is space for different formats, from the supply of only spare tyres and wheel alignment services to a full range of services such as maintenance, brake replacement and air conditioning.