Bay Growth Upped by Foreign Repair

Aug. 2, 2019—The recent Lang Aftermarket iReport found that the trend of service bays was linked with the foreign nameplate aftermarket. 

"Service bay population gains in the U.S. over the past ten years have been concentrated among Independent (non-dealer) repair outlets with high rates of foreign nameplate repair growth. Bay population losses have been suffered by Independent (non-dealer) repair outlet groups lagging in foreign nameplate repair,” Jim Lang says. 

Lang predicts that this service bay trend will continue. 

Here are the six major takeaways from the report: 

• Despite the falling number of light vehicle service bays between 2008 and 2018, three major Independent (non-Dealer) outlet groups, with strong foreign nameplate repair activity, each expanded their bay count.
•  Repair Specialists (outlets focusing on a limited menu of service and maintenance) added the most bays during the past ten years, reflecting their growing foreign nameplate repair share.
•  Foreign Specialists (outlets concentrating on the repair of foreign nameplates) recorded the greatest bay population percentage gain between 2008 and 2018.
•  Tire Stores climbed modestly in their service bay count over this ten-year span, largely assisted by their foreign nameplate repair gains.
•  As the foreign nameplate Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) market expands at an annual rate many times faster than domestic nameplate DIFM activity over the next five years, the service bay growth of repair outlet groups will be largely determined by their foreign nameplate repair success.
•  Lang Marketing projects two Independent (non-Dealer) repair outlet groups with the highest rates of foreign nameplate repair growth will add significant numbers of service bays over the next four years: Repair Specialists and Foreign Specialists.