In the last few years Autogem Motor Concepts LLP has grown rapidly from a faltering supplier to an influential player in the tyre and workshop consumable business. The turning point came in September 2005 when the Invicta group of companies took over the reins at Autogem. Initially, the new owners embarked on the project with a team of just 10.

The first major move the new managing partners, brothers Prashant and Adit Chopra, made was to consolidate Invicta and Autogem’s existing four warehouses into one bespoke distribution centre in Park Royal, London. They have been in their current warehouse/offices since April 2006 and closed Autogem’s inefficient old Leeds telesales operation in July 2007, after winding down the business’s dependency on this location. Here, the staff of 50 was reduced to just two, with the rest taking redundancy. This rapid reduction in headcount could be seen as harsh, but from Autogem’s management’s perspective it just demonstrates how inefficient the company they took over had become.