Watchdog investigates Euro Car Parts acquisition of Andrew Page

Unsecured creditors of Andrew Page have just £630,000 set aside for claims running into millions, reports say

Watchdog investigates Euro Car Parts acquisition of Andrew Page
CEO Euro Car Parts, Martin Gray.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the completed acquisition of Andrew Page by Euro Car Parts (ECP).

The initial enforcement order states: “The CMA has reasonable grounds for suspecting that it is or may be the case that ECP Newco Limited and certain assets of Andrew Page Limited, Solid Auto (U.K.) Limited and Colton Parts Company Limited (AP) have ceased to be distinct.

“The CMA is considering, pursuant to section 22 of the Act, whether it is or may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created and whether the creation of that situation has resulted or may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market or markets in the United Kingdom.”

Documents suggest lost money for suppliers

At the time of the administrators’ appointment, the secured creditors of Andrew Page group – Endless, Phoenix and PNC Financial Services – were owed £67 million.

PNC is expected to recoup around £31 million of the £37 million it was owed at the time of the administration, according to a statement of affairs document that directors prepared for Andrew Page.

It’s been reported that Phoenix is not receiving any money back through the administration process and it’s thought to be the same case for Endless.

Unsecured claims are only expected to receive money via a prescribed part of around £600,000 for Andrew Page but claims amount to £45.1m.

The suppliers hope to recover the £50 million worth of stock carried at the point of administration.

Secured jobs

Andrew Page had a turnover of £192 million in the financial year ending September 2015 and operated through 109 sites with more than 2,000 full time and part time staff.

The ECP deal, which is yet to be cleared by the CMA, will secure all jobs.

Martin Gray, CEO of ECP told GW that the company “voluntarily approached the CMA regarding its acquisition” and said he expected the investigation to take place.

He added: “Given the size of the acquisition, it is understandably being reviewed by the UK competition authorities.

“While the review is ongoing, we are required to run the ECP and Andrew Page businesses, so far as possible, as separate businesses.

“However, in the longer term, it is no secret that Andrew Page will be developed further as a separate brand, our main priority is to re-establish a robust supply chain for Andrew Page, which has now been completed and Andrew Page customers will notice a substantive difference from this week.”

Share your comments on this story below.

25 Comments

  1. Not like euro car parts to get something wrong!

    Reply
  2. Not like euro car parts to get something wrong!

    Reply
  3. Nothing will get better with Euro taking over AP there prices will go up they will still send parts out wrong or not at all because they have cornered the market.

    Reply
  4. Nothing will get better with Euro taking over AP there prices will go up they will still send parts out wrong or not at all because they have cornered the market.

    Reply
  5. All staff kept there jobs? I know Kingston went I’m sure they won’t be the only store ap got too greedy shame on them.

    Reply
    • AP did not get greedy, far from it as we ended up selling at near enough cost in the last few months. Truth is we were ruined by both of the investment companies that ran us and ran us into the ground and took as much money out as they could before all this happened. Thankfully over 2300 jobs were saved by buyout. By the way nearly 80% of the staff that worked at the closed branches were all relocated to either AP or ECP branches. The rest didn’t want to stay.

      Reply
  6. All staff kept there jobs? I know Kingston went I’m sure they won’t be the only store ap got too greedy shame on them.

    Reply
    • AP did not get greedy, far from it as we ended up selling at near enough cost in the last few months. Truth is we were ruined by both of the investment companies that ran us and ran us into the ground and took as much money out as they could before all this happened. Thankfully over 2300 jobs were saved by buyout. By the way nearly 80% of the staff that worked at the closed branches were all relocated to either AP or ECP branches. The rest didn’t want to stay.

      Reply
  7. GSF Car Parts is where you want to go for your vehicle parts. Faultless service and good quality.

    Reply
    • I COMPLETELY AGREE, GSF ARE OFFERING A BETTER SERVICE, SIMILAR PRICING AND BETTER QUALITY PARTS.

      EURO CAR PARTS OFFER INFERIOR PARTS, AND AS THE OWNING COMPANY OF AP, THEY WILL BE PUSHING THE SAME RUBBISH THROUGH THEIR COUNTERS.

      Reply
  8. GSF Car Parts is where you want to go for your vehicle parts. Faultless service and good quality.

    Reply
    • I COMPLETELY AGREE, GSF ARE OFFERING A BETTER SERVICE, SIMILAR PRICING AND BETTER QUALITY PARTS.

      EURO CAR PARTS OFFER INFERIOR PARTS, AND AS THE OWNING COMPANY OF AP, THEY WILL BE PUSHING THE SAME RUBBISH THROUGH THEIR COUNTERS.

      Reply
  9. Euro Car Parts have a dreadful name in the trade. Failure to send correct parts, and the Biggest failure NEVER to do credits on time and without having to be chased constantly. You can never speak to any management without calling Wembley branch and getting messed by clueless Indians on the counter.
    Martin Gray knows this from the rollickings hes had from me in the past. God help us from an expansion which will turn out to be a curse. He knew if he did not volunteer info to the CMA a complaint would have been raised probably from me!
    Euros will end up too big for its boots and in time will fail as a result of their own management weaknesses, all talk and no action, without customers you do not exist!!

    Reply
  10. Euro Car Parts have a dreadful name in the trade. Failure to send correct parts, and the Biggest failure NEVER to do credits on time and without having to be chased constantly. You can never speak to any management without calling Wembley branch and getting messed by clueless Indians on the counter.
    Martin Gray knows this from the rollickings hes had from me in the past. God help us from an expansion which will turn out to be a curse. He knew if he did not volunteer info to the CMA a complaint would have been raised probably from me!
    Euros will end up too big for its boots and in time will fail as a result of their own management weaknesses, all talk and no action, without customers you do not exist!!

    Reply
  11. Being a customer of AP I have already received parts with ECP numbers on and any ownership or involvement with ECP will end in problems for staff and customers. I speak with experience from dealing with ECP. Interested in what will get brushed under the carpet?

    Reply
  12. Being a customer of AP I have already received parts with ECP numbers on and any ownership or involvement with ECP will end in problems for staff and customers. I speak with experience from dealing with ECP. Interested in what will get brushed under the carpet?

    Reply
  13. Euro Car Parts sell there products cheaper on click and collect then to trade account holders who spend many thousands every month! This will get worse as they get bigger this is why ap can’t match Euro prices and survive.

    Reply
    • Everyone should spare a thought for the delivery drivers from both AP and ECP, regardless of which of the two are at the helm, both treat their drivers as second class citizens! You don’t get any job satisfaction when you are disrespected, talked to like dirt, blamed for every mistake (which are most often down to the sales team), expected to be drivers, van sales, van cleaners, van maintenance workers and general dogs bodies! In just about every branch you will encounter a distinct “them and us mentality ” between sales/management and the drivers. It’s always been the same, the wrong people given a little power can be a dangerous thing! Customers should be made aware that the sales staff can’t be bothered to answer the phones because they are too busy mucking about, giggling and playing with their mobiles! Drivers like to ask customers for any returns, but are not encouraged to do so regularly enough by management, and when returns are bought back to branch, although they are all generally placed back into storage quickly enough, it’s the customers paperwork that is held up and not usually credited back to their accounts until at least the end of each month, sometimes much longer! Sales staff receive performance bonuses whilst drivers do not! Yet sales only involve answering a phone, the computer and warehouse staff, and drivers do the rest! All the sales staff actually do is what has long been known in the trade as “telesales” and DO NOT ACTUALLY GENERATE ANY SALES! It’s an absolute joke!
      Zero contract hours, piss poor management, total lack of organisation, poor relationship between drivers and management, no financial rewards for working hard, it’s only ever the management that will come out on top! AP are blaming the investment partners for taking too much money too soon, what a joke! Run before you can walk sound familiar? Pat yourself on the back, live a lifestyle that you can’t afford whilst watching your company go down the pan, sensible eh? Total lack of responsibility as usual with AP, lots of people will be left seriously out of pocket as a result of total miss management! Heads should role! Get rid of all those that are found to be at all associated with this mess and replace them with people that actually give a shit! A little advice to any management from AP thinking about responding to this comment, DONT BOTHER, ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE WASTED AND FALL ON DEAF EARS, IVE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE AND HAVE LEARNED TO NOT BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD YOU SAY! The people to listen to, the people to believe are those that work under you, you can’t hide behind words with them, they experience everything in person and as such, know the truth!

      Reply
      • Role should have been ‘Roll’ by the way.
        As a previous employee of AP in a management role I experienced the buyout.
        Yes the business will change, and I really think you should also. Maybe talk to someone about your issues.
        Very unfactual and no substance to back your comments up.

        Reply
  14. Euro Car Parts sell there products cheaper on click and collect then to trade account holders who spend many thousands every month! This will get worse as they get bigger this is why ap can’t match Euro prices and survive.

    Reply
    • Everyone should spare a thought for the delivery drivers from both AP and ECP, regardless of which of the two are at the helm, both treat their drivers as second class citizens! You don’t get any job satisfaction when you are disrespected, talked to like dirt, blamed for every mistake (which are most often down to the sales team), expected to be drivers, van sales, van cleaners, van maintenance workers and general dogs bodies! In just about every branch you will encounter a distinct “them and us mentality ” between sales/management and the drivers. It’s always been the same, the wrong people given a little power can be a dangerous thing! Customers should be made aware that the sales staff can’t be bothered to answer the phones because they are too busy mucking about, giggling and playing with their mobiles! Drivers like to ask customers for any returns, but are not encouraged to do so regularly enough by management, and when returns are bought back to branch, although they are all generally placed back into storage quickly enough, it’s the customers paperwork that is held up and not usually credited back to their accounts until at least the end of each month, sometimes much longer! Sales staff receive performance bonuses whilst drivers do not! Yet sales only involve answering a phone, the computer and warehouse staff, and drivers do the rest! All the sales staff actually do is what has long been known in the trade as “telesales” and DO NOT ACTUALLY GENERATE ANY SALES! It’s an absolute joke!
      Zero contract hours, piss poor management, total lack of organisation, poor relationship between drivers and management, no financial rewards for working hard, it’s only ever the management that will come out on top! AP are blaming the investment partners for taking too much money too soon, what a joke! Run before you can walk sound familiar? Pat yourself on the back, live a lifestyle that you can’t afford whilst watching your company go down the pan, sensible eh? Total lack of responsibility as usual with AP, lots of people will be left seriously out of pocket as a result of total miss management! Heads should role! Get rid of all those that are found to be at all associated with this mess and replace them with people that actually give a shit! A little advice to any management from AP thinking about responding to this comment, DONT BOTHER, ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE WASTED AND FALL ON DEAF EARS, IVE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE AND HAVE LEARNED TO NOT BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD YOU SAY! The people to listen to, the people to believe are those that work under you, you can’t hide behind words with them, they experience everything in person and as such, know the truth!

      Reply
      • Role should have been ‘Roll’ by the way.
        As a previous employee of AP in a management role I experienced the buyout.
        Yes the business will change, and I really think you should also. Maybe talk to someone about your issues.
        Very unfactual and no substance to back your comments up.

        Reply
      • If you worked for the company then you would know that using a phone in work time is a disciplinary. For getting a bonus, yes it’s true if you hit sale targets and profit targets you revive a little bonus but last time I checked the drivers got that also so before you start ranting and raving about how the drivers are miss treated you literally get a bonus for doing nothing extra.

        Reply
  15. Andrew Page are a joke. Bought a tool which would not do the job I needed it for. Tried to return it 3 times. First told only original branch could do a refund. Then as not practical told any branch could refund me. First one said it was impossible. Second branch are giving me the runaround. I will end up getting my refund from credit card company. Jokers. No wonder they went down the tube.

    Reply
  16. Andrew Page are a joke. Bought a tool which would not do the job I needed it for. Tried to return it 3 times. First told only original branch could do a refund. Then as not practical told any branch could refund me. First one said it was impossible. Second branch are giving me the runaround. I will end up getting my refund from credit card company. Jokers. No wonder they went down the tube.

    Reply

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