Spotlight on SPA

System Partner GmbH, better known as SPA, is the official automotive accessories licensee for Eastern Europe based in Karlsruhe, Germany. Their background is as a specialist in car accessories, with approximately 3,500 products in their range. With these products, they supply:

• Hypermarkets such as; Kaufland and the Metro Group
• DIY-stores such as; OBI, Toom and Bauhaus
• Discount stores such as; Aldi, Lidl and Norma
• Tyre centres such as; ATU and Euromaster
• Petrol Stations such as; Shell and Esso
• Online retailers such as; Amazon and Westfalia

The above add up to over 18,000 listings in total, 14,000 of which are petrol stations in countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Poland.

These products have high recognition due to the premium brand image

The MICHELIN products which are in the SPA portfolio include:

• car mats
• foot pumps
• inflators
• tyre pressure gauges
• snow chains
• ecological car care products

They have 110 employees and had a turnover of €110m for 2013.

Working with Michelin

Marion Wucherer, Marketing Manager at SPA commented, “Michelin offers us the opportunity to position products with a high quality and price level in our market. Products are already available but we can also develop products ourselves. These products have high recognition due to the premium brand image and awareness of Michelin and are differentiated from competitors”. MLL’s Regional Manager for Eastern Europe, Helmut Boneberg, is based close to SPA at the Michelin site in Karlsruhe, Marion goes on to say that, “it is also good to have Helmut Boneberg nearby, he is only 2km away, so it is easy to meet and exchange with him!”

Successes

SPA have developed a MICHELIN-branded merchandising unit for Euromaster Centres in Germany. The unit displays products such as:

• Metallic snow chains
• Ice scrapers
• Brushes
• Car care and cleaning products
• Wheel covers
• First aid kits

The units were put in place at the beginning of December 2013 and are in almost 300 Euromaster Centres throughout Germany. The feedback received so far has been very positive and SPA is looking at extending this successful promotion throughout its regional scope.

What Does The Future Hold?

SPA plan to extend their MICHELIN-branded portfolio of products; either through the development of new products or by working with other licensees to source products. By doing this they see the potential for sales growth.

SPA are also due to launch MICHELIN wiper blades in collaboration with MLL, Impex and Bosch, and are also in the development phase for a product information terminal at the point-of-sale – currently being tested in some stores. SPA’s customers are very interested in this project as it provides opportunities for cross-sales, as well as, displaying additional information to support the sales process.