Untitled DocumentCOLUMBUS, Ohio — One year after the acquisition by Belron SA, Belron US (formerly Safelite Group) is converting to the Safelite AutoGlass brand name in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington beginning in February. The conversion will affect 106 locations and 920 associates in those four states.
The affected store brands include Elite Auto Glass (Arizona, California and Nevada), Glaspro (Arizona and Washington), Maverick Glass (Arizona) and Windshield Pros (California).
“Our branding strategy is to leverage the strongest brand name in a market and focus all efforts on making that brand the natural choice for all consumers,” says Dan Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Belron US. “Even though we have adjusted the brands in these states, we remain one team of associates with the same goal – to delight every customer.”
Since the February 2007 acquisition of Safelite, the company has been carefully studying which brand names have the most customer recognition in the markets where both companies had operations. Extensive market research showed that customers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington did not have a dominant awareness of any one company brand, but Safelite AutoGlass had the highest general name recognition among consumers.
“This was the right move at the right time for these markets. Our associates and customers were ready for this change,” Wilson says. “A single brand in these markets reduces customer confusion and allows us to leverage our marketing activities.”
Wilson added the company will continue to co-brand operations as Elite Auto Glass and Safelite AutoGlass in Colorado and as Auto Glass Specialists and Safelite AutoGlass in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
