Québec City, Québec — This morning, Driven Brands announced its acquisition of the Clairus Group, adding 240 physical service locations, more than 330 mobile locations, 22 distribution centres, a claims management platform and a newly-created glass vertical to the Driven Brands portfolio.
Established in 2018 and based in Quebec, the Clairus Group is a vertically-integrated provider of automotive glass distribution, replacement, ADAS calibration and claims management.
Driven Brands is the parent company of several automotive aftermarket brands—including Maaco and CARSTAR—across four different verticals: repair and maintenance, paint and collision, distribution, and quick lube. With the acquisition, Clairus will form the Driven Brand’s newly-created glass vertical as the brand continues its aggressive growth in the automotive glass space.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Clairus Group into the Driven Brands family,” said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, CEO of Driven Brands. “It’s a terrific platform offering great sought-after expertise. We are excited to add and invest in a new vertical in order to expand our family of brands and generate more growth not only in this market, but in the rest of North America.”
Clairus’ marquee brands include UniGlass, Vitro Plus, Docteur du Pare-Brise under its service channel, PH Vitres d’Autos under distribution, and Conversense, its claims management platform.
In late October, Clairus also acquired Kitchener, Ont.-based Go! Glass.
“This new chapter to the Clairus Group legacy is a stepping-stone in bringing the company to the next level,” said Marc Desmarais, CEO and president of the Clairus Group. “Combining the expertise of both market leaders will help fast track our expansion into the North American market.”
Since affiliates of Roark Capital acquired Driven Brands in 2015, it has executed more than 30 acquisitions, including Clairus.
Fueled by these acquisitions and organic growth, Driven Brands continues to expand across its automotive verticals, increasing the brands’ footprint to over 2,800 locations across North America.
