NAPA opens 20th store

NAPA Auto Parts has established 20 branches across the country since the first was opened in New Plymouth in June 2020. The latest, in Pukekohe, opened for business in August this year making — in just over two years — NAPA Auto Parts one of New Zealand’s largest aftermarket parts suppliers.

NAPA Auto Parts brings together the strength and expertise of Ashdown-Ingram, Appco, Automotive Supplies, Bindon’s and Sulco under one roof. NAPA Auto Parts’ general manager of sales and operations Tony Walker says bringing the best specialist trade businesses into a single-branch entity enhances and simplifies the proposition to automotive trade customers. It also helps ramp up those specialist teams’ services to customers by giving them the opportunity to leverage the strength of NAPA Auto Parts’ global supply chain and logistics, which will also translate into better value for customers over time.

NAPA Pukekohe is located in the old Autostop Pukekohe building at 150 Manukau Road, Pukekohe which has received “a bright NAPA refresh”. Tony says this was the last branch of the heritage businesses to come under the NAPA masthead and to be relaunched as a NAPA Auto Parts store, offering the full range of products and services.

The new store opening comes hot on the heels of the announcement last month of the parent company GPC Asia-Pacific’s new 28,000 sq m distribution centre in Wiri. Currently being fitted out, it will streamline distribution across the group’s businesses and supply its branches throughout New Zealand.

NAPA Auto Parts is also expanding in the South Island. NAPA Auto Parts Invercargill moved to bigger premises just a month before its second birthday. The continued success of this branch has meant that bigger premises were needed to service the fast growing customer base.

On 29 August the doors opened to the new bigger branch at the new address, 106 Yarrow St.

The larger premises mean more stock is available on the shelves and more than 5000 new stock items added across a number of product groups. Customer service is provided by the same knowledgeable team, with the addition of a few new faces.

“We’re stoked to have completed the NAPA branch roll out in two years with Pukekohe now up and running, especially with all the disruption of the last two years,” says Tony. “ It has always been important to us to give our customers the best offers available and continue to build on the great legacy businesses under NAPA. That meant it was a no-brainer to expand NAPA Invercargill by moving to a much larger, more suitable site. We’re just getting started,” Tony says.

For more information, see napa.co.nz, or call into one of the 20 branches nationwide.