Charlotte, NC – July 31, 2017 — The CARSTAR North America leadership team, shared performance highlights for the first half of 2017, along with its enthusiastic outlook for the remainder of the year during the 2017 NACE Automechanika Show in Chicago, Illinois. This discussion was presented by Dean Fisher, Chief Operating Officer, CARSTAR U.S.; Michael Macaluso, President, CARSTAR North America; and Arlo Johnson, Vice-President, Insurance Relations, CARSTAR U.S.
Collision Repair magazine sat in on the discussion in order to learn more about the company’s highlights and its plans for the future.
“As CARSTAR North America has operated as one network across the U.S. and Canada this year, we are seeing the positive impact on our performance in both countries,” said Michael Macaluso, President, CARSTAR North America. “We have been able to fully integrate our operations, adopt best practices from each and leverage the resources and operational expertise of Driven Brands to create a platform for growth in the coming years,” he added.
Key CARSTAR North America milestones in the first half of 2017 include:
- Continuous growth in same centre sales for the last 54 months and improved franchise profitability across the system.
- Expansion through new store growth, including opening operations in North and South Carolina, putting CARSTAR North America on track to open 100 new locations in 2017.
- Industry-leading KPIs including length of rental and NPS scores.
- Rolling out the North American version of the CARSTAR Proprietary EDGE Performance Platform, which began in the U.S.
- Expansion of the CARSTAR insurance program with significant DRP growth across North America.
“With the full integration of CARSTAR’s U.S. and Canadian operations, we have a premier, powerful network upon which to build, and look forward to achieving new levels of success in the year ahead,” said Macaluso.
For the second half of the year, CARSTAR and Driven Brands are focused on growing the CARSTAR network across the U.S. and Canada, delivering continued operational improvements and providing purchasing efficiencies.
Key initiatives include:
- Driving unit growth across the U.S. and Canada through aggressive store development.
- Increasing organic growth at its current locations through the CARSTAR Proprietary EDGE Performance Platform, operating efficiencies and new fleet and insurance programs.
- Continuing to execute against performance-based agreements with the major insurance carriers and secure more of these relationships.
“We continue on a path of rapid growth and increased performance, and the partnership with Driven Brands continues to provide fuel to accelerate our growth,” said Macaluso. “Our store owners, our insurance partners and our vendor partners have embraced our North American model and are excited about the new benefits they bring. We look forward to finishing a great year and continuing to grow toward our 1,000-store goal,” he concluded.
For more information, please visit carstar.ca.
