Aftermarket Magazine September 2025

Editor’s comment 3 www.aftermarketonline.net SEPTEMBER 2025 Editor John Shepherd john@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 1732 370 345 Head of Sales Angela Lyus angela@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 7823 736 629 Managing Director Ryan Fuller ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk Marketing Manager Hope Jepson hope.jepson@dfamedia.co.uk Production Design Anthony Wiffen production@aftermarket.co.uk +44 (0) 7851 612799 Finance Department accounts@dfamedia.co.uk +44 (0) 1732 370 340 Contributors Harald Oosting | Sam Peters Joe Phelan | Tom Wright Published by DFA Media Group 192 High Street Tonbridge Kent TN9 1BE +44 (0)1732 370340 ISSN 2516-9149 Aftermarket is published 10 times a year and is sent free of charge to applicants meeting the publisher’s criteria. All others may subscribe at £60 per anum, £120 Europe and £150 rest of the world. While every care is taken to provide accurate information, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or ommisions, no matter how caused. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior consent of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Copyright: DFA Aftermarket Media Ltd 2025. Average net circulation July 2023 to June 2024 21,945 Still time to shine as summer fades How was your summer and did you manage to get away from the workshop for a well-earned break? If you’ve yet to take a summer holiday, there’s still time to do so if you go by the astronomical seasons, which say autumn does not start officially until later this month. But I’ve already spotted Halloween tricks and treats appearing in the shops, so the Christmas cards and decorations won’t be far behind! How time flies. I had only been back a few days from my summer break when a colleague sent around the date for this year’s office Christmas party. However, heading into autumn is always an exciting time for the Aftermarket team, because that means the Top Awards season is just around the corner — our annual quest to find the UK’s Top Garage, Top Technician and Top Apprentice. This year promises to be extra special thanks to our collaboration with the automotive industry charity Ben. In addition to presenting its Health and Wellbeing Award for the third year, to recognise workshops that prioritise the mental and physical health of their teams, there is extra food for thought in 2025. We’re delighted to announce that Ben will also be on site at the Top Awards finals in November, serving its popular ‘Big Breakfast’ for competitors and guests. Catch up with all the latest preparations for the Top Awards on pages 22 & 23. Meanwhile, the resilience, drive and dedication of all who work in this industry never fails to impress all year round. I interviewed a mechanic for this issue who runs her garage business from a unit at the back of the family home in Birmingham. Louise ‘Womanic’ Baker has built up a loyal customer base over almost a decade in business, as well as juggling the day-to-day demands of being a single parent. She has recently benefited from a business makeover that has transformed the workshop, thanks to an initiative driven by Schaeffler. Read all about it on page 50. Investment in the aftermarket is always needed, so it was a pleasure to hear from the boss of Duckhams Oils about his plans to work on closer cooperation with workshops. You can read more about that on our business pages. If you’re in the market for advice on how to finance the next stage of growth for your business, see inside for some expert tips on how best to get funding. Enjoy the issue! John Shepherd Editor

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