European Aftermarket Parts Distributors 2022: Frost Radar Report

A Benchmarking System to Spark Companies to Action ‒ Innovation That Fuels New Deal Flow and Growth Pipelines

The European aftermarket distribution ecosystem is a multi-billion euro industry, with distributors grouped into uneven clusters based on their size (revenue and network) and the operating structures of their respective buying groups. The publisher independently plotted the top 10 European distributors in this Frost Radar analysis. 

In 2019, selected European distributors (top 10 from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) combined accounted for €9.79 billion in revenue and grew to €10.96 billion post-pandemic in 2021. 

The automotive aftermarket is forecast to register positive incremental revenue growth with the global market recovery from pandemic-induced restrictions. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have a broader mix of buying groups and distributors that point to higher automotive aftermarket activity and increasing competition in these regions. Three distributors from the United Kingdom make the cut in the top 5 regional distributors and have affiliations with North American buying groups, reflecting the rising interest in the European distribution ecosystem. 

Anecdotal research from the publisher Europe Aftermarket Parts Buying Group and Distributor Profiles and Growth Opportunities report outlined the top 3 distributors in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain based on benchmarking criteria such as financials and investment appetite, network strength, pandemic impact and recovery, technician training, digitization in/of B2B and B2C portals, connected technologies in the value chain, digital transformation, workshop concepts and loyalty programs, private label strength, remanufactured parts, and commercial vehicle parts. The criteria are further distilled to the top 10 based on revenue and revenue growth as well as innovation strategy, which forms the participants on this Frost Radar.