Supercheap Auto and Bosch team up to launch auto service centres
Engineering and appliances giant Bosch is joining up with retailer Supercheap Auto to launch a chain of auto service and repair workshops next year, in a move that could trigger the search for the new venture’s agency.
Supercheap is branching out into service centres in partnership with Bosch
The new brand, to be called ‘AutoCrew – Powered by Supercheap Auto’, will be affiliated with Supercheap’s retail outlets and brings Bosch’s global AutoCrew brand to Australia for the first time.
Supercheap’s managing director, Chris Wilesmith, said the combination of Supercheap’s retail experience and Bosch’s technology and ability to service modern cars made the partnership a strong offering.
“In past years, we have seen strong growth across our fitment and solutions offering, and see a clear trend towards customers expecting more when it comes to servicing their cars,” Wilesmith said.
“The diagnostic and digital components of cars today demand technology solutions often not commonly available in your average workshop – and at the same time, customers feel there should be a better solution than having to change their own wiper blades and that should come at a fair price.
AutoCrew logo lodged with IP Australia by Bosch
The first pilot store will open in Sydney early next year and “will offer drivers a full automotive service powered by Bosch’s superior diagnostic and workshops technology”.
“We are excited to have signed this agreement with Bosch, which is the natural extension of our existing fitment services and will enable us to provide customers an end-to-end solution across all their servicing needs. We look forward to working closely with Bosch over the coming months to finalise the launch of the first pilot workshop,” Wilesmith said.”
Supercheap and Bosch have been offering diagnostic services through Supercheap stores for DIY mechanics wanting to get error reports from their car computers while Bosch has around 200 service centres across the country.
Supercheap works with a number of agencies including specialist retail agency The General Store in Sydney and Melbourne-based design and advertising agency Loud & Clear.
Sources have suggested that handling of launch marketing for the brand could also fall to Bosch’s own in-house team based in Melbourne while Supercheap Auto’s agencies have also been involved in early work ahead of the launch.
A spokesperson for Supercheap described the launch as a “toe in the water” and that decisions about marketing for the brand were some time away.
“We are taking a test and learn approach,” the spokesperson said.
