June 14, 2018—While the light vehicle aftermarket soared more than $14 billion in product volume between 2010 and 2016, the car and light truck repair outlet population shrank by nearly 6,000 locations, according to the newest Lang Aftermarket iReport.
At mid-year 2016, there were fewer than 123,000 service stations and garages performing car and light truck repair in the U.S., down from more than 128,000 outlets six years earlier.
Despite the total decline in outlet population, not all major repair outlet groups fell in number. Repair specialists, outlets focused on a limited menu of vehicle services, recorded the largest increase in number of locations between 2010 and 2016. Over this six-year span, repair specialists climbed from 28,000 to more than 29,000 outlets.
Foreign specialists also recorded a gain in outlet population, adding more than a thousand locations during these six years. Tire stores recorded a 500 outlet increase as their population climbed from 26,000 to 26,500 between 2010 and 2016.
