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Point S consolidates its position by integrating the Etape Auto network of Alliance Automotive Group comprising 49 points of sale in France. The transition, planned for February 2024, is part of the expansion strategy of the tire manufacturer’s maintenance brand, while allowing Alliance Automotive Group to concentrate on its core business, namely the distribution of spare parts.
Point S is consolidating its footprint in France by integrating the Etape Auto car center network , comprising 49 points of sale. This acquisition helps strengthen Point S’s position as a leader in the tire and automotive care sectors, bringing the total number of points of sale to 914 nationwide.
Harmonious transmission
Created in 1989, Etape Auto is a network of local auto centers with similarities to Point S centers in terms of services and turnover. Etape Auto’s 49 points of sale, located in municipalities with 5,000 to 30,000 inhabitants, will join Point S in February 2024 with mutual respect for franchisees. The emphasis on local service, shared by Point S and Etape Auto, will facilitate a harmonious transition, explain the two companies.
The takeover of the brand and franchisee contracts will take place in several stages. Point S management plans to adopt a methodical approach by organizing individual meetings with members holding the new contracts. “ We want to define the rest of the story with them, doing it case by case ,” explains Christophe Rollet. The first, priority objective is to retain all Etape Auto points of sale and to assess to what extent they can be integrated into the Point S network, without obligation. To date, no Etape Auto franchisee has expressed their desire to withdraw.
For reasons of capillarity, even if the duplications will be minimal, the Etape Auto brand could be retained and even developed in the future. Nothing is set in stone. Etape Auto thus complements the group’s other brands ( Warning, PPS and Happy Car ) whose foundation is to promote BtoC brands.
Take advantage of the Point S group’s strengths
According to Christophe Rollet, the membership conditions between the two brands are quite similar, with equivalent costs. Thus, this takeover of Etape Auto by Point S appears to be a development opportunity for franchisees , while the brand has experienced a decline in the number of franchisees in recent years. The first advantage is the indisputable reputation enjoyed by Point S. The second advantage lies in improved purchasing conditions on certain product families, starting with tires. The third plus is business with major accounts, representing 30% of Point S’s turnover, without forgetting the concepts developed by the group (glazing, eco-mobility and automobile sales).
The takeover agreement specifies that Alliance Automotive Group will continue to be Etape Auto’s supplier for spare parts, thus strengthening the partnership between the two organizations, a collaboration that began more than a year ago. “ This recovery will accelerate and intensify our commercial relations,” affirms Christophe Rollet.
The Etape Auto network achieves a turnover of 30 million euros, in addition to the 600 million generated by Point S. With the acquisition of Etape Auto, the Point S group now has nearly 1,000 points of service and is establishing itself in medium-sized but important towns, hitherto uncovered.
