Unipart

[Wilko220]

It was a nice surprise to open my evening paper on the way home and see a modern-day, yet very reminiscent, reminder of "The Firm" staring at me.
 
It looks like there is actually one bit of BL still going strong after so much of the rest of the remains has bitten the dust.
 

 
But my favourite thing of all is that, despite now having grown into this all-singing, all-dancing multi-national logistics conglomerate, they're still using the same old logo we all remember. Class.
 

[saucedoctor]

On its arse, I'm afraid.

 

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-car-parts-firm-uniparts-7390386

[Wilko220]

Oh dear....

[Pillock]

Currently employee-owned but 48 hours from bankruptcy according to the papers. One of the companies planning on putting a bid in is Euro Car Parts.... So they'll have more stock to randomly choose you a wrong part from.

[Tayne]

The article says that Unipart Automotive is on its arse.

The Unipart Group ( Yes, yes, yes at thetop of this thread) flogged off Unipart Automotive in 2011.

[PiperCub]

ECP probably will buy it sadly so another one joins this awful monopoly. Millions of parts - all of them wrong..............

[brickwall]

  Quote

The company , which employs about 1,600 people in the UK, completed a refinancing deal in May, but it was not enough to save the business.

The UK business is owned by Unipart Group and H2 Equity Partners.  The Dutch private equity investor, which bought a 51 per cent stake in 2011, had hoped to invest in the business and turn it around, but recent poor trading prevented it from pulling off its plan.

Unipart Automotive, which has about 200 branches in the UK, hopes a rescue deal will be completed within days.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unipart-automotive-days-away-from-securing-a-rescue-deal-9593551.html

 

I hope so.

[RedSparrow]

My dad runs a small garage and throughout the 90s Unipart would send literally tons of branded freebies, some of which he could've sold to customers.

I remember about 100 copies of a very good Unipart road atlas that they suggested he could sell but he just gave them to regular customers.

 

Also, one year there was a calendar of nudey Russian ladies, which caught my attention at the age of 12. He had boxes of them but wouldn't let me have one!

[Station]

  On 09/07/2014 at 21:04, Pillock said:

 One of the companies planning on putting a bid in is Euro Car Parts.... So they'll have more stock to randomly choose you a wrong part from.

 

I have to say that's a bit unfair. The last time I went in they intentionally gave me several wrong parts, in between swearing like a docker, calling the customer 'bud' and just generally being unpleasantly 'casual'.

[twosmoke300]

the only 2 times ive used them for work ive been sent the wrong bits at the wrong price on the wrong day.

 

 

Aaaammm Oooot

[Mr Livered]

  On 10/07/2014 at 12:11, Station said:

swearing like a docker, calling the customer 'bud' and just generally being unpleasantly 'casual'.

Either 'bud' or 'mate' is a pretty standard form of address in an informal encounter between two adult males, no? I never see the problem with people fucking swearing either, and dockers are top blokes in general, just ask Trigger.

 

Getting the wrong parts is surely the only actual problem here?

[lisbon_road]

I have never had any problems with Europarts and have never had the wrong parts.  I can also live with being called 'bud'.

 

But like so many industries, if they get even closer to a monopoly, I can't see any way that's good for us.

[chaseracer]

I don't mind being called 'bud', 'mate', 'pal' or even (memorably) 'squire'; indeed, it seems to be compulsory in all consumer transactions here in the Midlands.  However, I have the kind of voice/accent which shifts the mode of address fairly rapidly to 'sir', which is a constant source of amusement to me    

 

I would get out more, but the guards won't allow it.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I have never been a customer of either Unipart or Euro Car Parts...

[RedSparrow]

Just did a search and was reminded that there was a video too!

Which my dad didn't let me have a copy of either!

 

[Junkman]

I'd pay him back for this deprivation of essential necessities during your adolescence.

Visit him and drink all his old whisky.

[Station]

  On 10/07/2014 at 12:42, Mr Livered said:

Either 'bud' or 'mate' is a pretty standard form of address in an informal encounter between two adult males, no? I never see the problem with people fucking swearing either, and dockers are top blokes in general, just ask Trigger.

 

Getting the wrong parts is surely the only actual problem here?

 

Not when they crawl out of the back room scratching their balls it isn't (this happened). Leave the fake pleasantries in the pub and concentrate on giving me the correct part at least once thanks.

[trigger]

  On 10/07/2014 at 12:11, Station said:

in between swearing like a docker

 

Fuck off!

[Rusty Pelican]

ECP will asset strip as they did with Lucas branches ( not the name though it would seem , Unipart will probably vanish 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I sales repped for Unipart and Edmunds Walker 21 years ago. Had a Montego. Cuntryman as well. In brown.

[Jikovron]

I worked at unipart for 2 years and noted that the investment input between UA and ECP was the respective equivalent of lidl and its cardboard boxs and M&S with its fancy dandy fripperies.

 

One little of info i heard whilst there was that only 1 out of 180 branches was making profit, although that was our branch manager who revealed that so it may have been a little bit of the man at the top speak possibly

[New POD]

www.unipartconsulting.com

www.sig-uk.org/who-we-are/partners

 

Unipart should be a brilliant company. They own a world leading improvement consultancy, and in the second link above are one of the partners, helping to spend government money to improve the UK aerospace and nuclear supply chain companies.  

[Wilko220]

Today's news: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/leads-deals/unipart-automotive-collapses-loss-over-7498422

 

  Quote

 

More than 1,200 people have been made redundant at Unipart Automotive and its Solihull head office closed after a failed bid to find a buyer for the business.

Based on Birmingham Business Park, the company operates a network of 180 branches and distribution hubs supplying car parts, workshop consumables and garage equipment.

It trades under the Unipart Automotive, Partco Autoparts and Express Factors brands and  employs 1,813 people.

Mark Orton, Will Wright and Jonny Marston from KPMG were appointed joint administrators to Unipart Automotive Ltd and immediately struck a deal with Solihull-based Parts Alliance and Leeds-based Andrew Page.

The Parts Alliance has acquired 12 of Unipart Automotive branches while Andrew Page has bought 21 including the sites in Walsall, Stafford and Shrewsbury.

A total of 361 staff employed across these 33 sites have transferred with immediate effect but the remainder of the Unipart Automotive business has ceased to trade with 1,244 redundancies.

[Bren]

Just remember - we are coming out of recession.

[Wilko220]

  On 24/07/2014 at 12:38, Bren said:

Just remember - we are coming out of recession.

 

Whether we're in a recession or in a boom, there will always be businesses which fail due to poor management. Look at MG Rover - there was no recession then.

[barefoot]

Bizarre, I got exactly the opposite;

 

"The Parts Alliance lands Unipart Automotive deal and safeguards over 300 jobs
In its bid to become a £1 billion turnover group, leading UK and Ireland automotive buying and distribution group, HgCapital-owned The Parts Alliance, together with latest associate member Andrew Page, today announced its joint acquisition of 33 branches from the former Unipart Automotive, which has entered administration. 
The deal, which is for an undisclosed sum, bolsters The Parts Alliance network to 278 branches nationwide and reflects its ambition to capture more great regional talent and brands under the Parts Alliance umbrella and pursue its dynamic growth strategy."

 

The full bollocks if anyone is interested is here  http://www.sourcewire.com/news/83863/

 

I have no opinion, connection etc.

[Junkman]

It's not my fault!

I just bought two genuine Unipart oil filters for the RBM.

[alf892]

  On 24/07/2014 at 13:01, barefoot said:

Bizarre, I got exactly the opposite;

 

"The Parts Alliance lands Unipart Automotive deal and safeguards over 300 jobs[/size]

In its bid to become a £1 billion turnover group, leading UK and Ireland automotive buying and distribution group, HgCapital-owned The Parts Alliance, together with latest associate member Andrew Page, today announced its joint acquisition of 33 branches from the former Unipart Automotive, which has entered administration. [/size]

The deal, which is for an undisclosed sum, bolsters The Parts Alliance network to 278 branches nationwide and reflects its ambition to capture more great regional talent and brands under the Parts Alliance umbrella and pursue its dynamic growth strategy."[/size]

 

The full bollocks if anyone is interested is here  [/size]http://www.sourcewire.com/news/83863/

 

I have no opinion, connection etc.

 

 

Same announcement..........different spin Shirley? One majors on how many jobs lost and goes on to mention 361 will transfer.........other trumpets the saving of over 300 jobs.

 

Back in the day they were bloody good for parts.......usually OE supplier in Unipart box and very well priced to trade. I used to work at at an AR dealer so the Parts Dept as Unipart with Express factors on site. In those days Express Factors was just a different van/extra logo

[CreepingJesus]

Feel sorry for the staff who've lost their jobs, but otherwise, fuck 'em. If the teeth grinding experience of buying bits from Unipart in Kirkcaldy or Dunfermline was anything to go by, they really didn't give a fuck about generating business anyhow.

I was in the garage trade many years ago, and I remember how good, what we would regard now as 'old school' parts shops, used to be. Unipart's 'old school' ethos seemed to be based on a fantasy mashup of Grange Hill and On The Buses. 

[dollywobbler]

This is depressing. The best factors in town was Unipart. Always friendly, helpful service and bloody good prices on oil.

[panhard65]

Well my local one is one of the lucky ones and has been taken over by parts alliance so they all still have their jobs at the moment. Must of been doing something right as they are down here in Taunton rather than the Midlands where most of the other saved branches are