'Best of the Best' boosts Federated Car Care program membership by 40 percent

Ask a cross section of independent repair shop owners what keeps them up at night, and it's likely that they'll answer "consolidation." That is, unless they are members of the Federated Auto Parts Car Care Center program. Membership in the program jumped 40 percent in 2007, according to Phil Moore, vice president of marketing for Federated Auto Parts — which means that a whole new group of independent service providers can now take advantage of the program group's state-of-the-art training, advertising and marketing support, buying power and nationwide warranty program.

"The Car Care Center program offers independent, professional installers the tools they need to compete with the big retailers," Moore said in an exclusive interview with Aftermarket Business magazine. "The program brings together independent technicians and helps them do all the things that little, local shops can't do on their own."

The Federated Car Care Center program is one of the fastest growing, complete support programs for automotive service providers. In 2005, the program had only 2,700 installer members, but by 2007 Moore reports more than 4,000 car care centers across the nation were flying the Federated banner. Moore credits a concerted effort to recruit independent technicians with the program's success, but adds that not everyone can join the program.

"We're not as interested in numbers when it comes to installers as we are in quality," says Moore. "We may have markets where we only have one guy [as an affiliate], but we hope to have the best guy in that market.

According to Moore, Federated grew by going straight to its WD and jobber members to determine what independent repair shops could benefit from membership in the Car Care Center program. Reminding the WDs and jobbers that being associated with the best of the best didn't hurt, either; once the WDs and jobbers realized that surviving in today's tough economic climate depends on good business relationships, they were more than willing to help recruit new technicians and their shops to join the program.

"It's important to us that Federated is viewed as a group that values the professional installer," Moore says. "That's our focus, and that's what we're trying to get across to the industry. And that's how we want to be seen in the aftermarket."

Still, becoming a member of the Car Care Center program doesn't mean a shop has to give up its independence. In fact, Federated encourages affiliate members to remain independent.

"We want them to have the Federated signage, but we think it is important that they remain independent in the market," he says. "That's how they built their business, so it's to their advantage to stay independent but to be affiliated with us."

In the end, not every affiliated member is going to run the program the same way — and that's the beauty of the program. According to Moore, the Car Care Center program caters to individual technicians by allowing WDs to tailor the program to their customers' needs. In the end, that's what has spurred the growth in membership for this program.

"This is a proven program and the Federated members are realizing the positive effect that signing the best professional automotive service providers in their respective markets can have on their businesses," says Moore. "In addition, more and more professional service technicians are seeing what a great value it is to be a member of the Federated team and how being a Federated Car Care Center member can enhance not only their image, but their profitability. From the best parts to outstanding training and tremendous marketing support, Federated gives professional service technicians the advantage they need to compete in today's competitive marketplace."