Millers Oils confirms Andy Savva as UK Brand Ambassador

Published: 09 September, 2020

Millers Oils have appointed Andy Savva – The Garage Inspector as Brand Ambassador.

The company will work with Andy to promote their range of engine oils, transmission oils and treatments, as well their programmes and aftermarket treatments.

Tony Lowe, Millers Oils Managing Director said: “Andy is a familiar face to most independent garages, who recognise and see him as the ‘Guru’ for the industry. He runs successful workshops and recommends brands that he truly believes in, like ours. We will only enhance our brand and product range with Andy joining us. Weare looking forward to working closely with him.”

Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, observed: “I am thrilled about my appointment to become Millers Oils Brand Ambassador, a company that shares the same passion as I do when it comes to people, service, and ethos.”

The knowledge shared between Andy and Millers Oils will also augment the lubricant section of Andy’s Garage Inspector training module, and he will be using the Millers Oils site in Brighouse, West Yorkshire as a training hub.

Andy continued: “The opportunity of working closely with the senior team at Millers Oils to promote and encourage the independent garage network to consider using Millers Oils as their first choice for all their lubricant needs is exciting. I am looking forward to working with Millers Oils to enhance my lubricants section in training.”

He added: “Millers Oils can provide a one-stop shop that is required in todays and the future vehicles, which can only benefit both to the garage and vehicle owner.”

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Schaeffler confirms ‘The Garage Inspector’ as first UK ‘Brand Ambassador’
Andy Savva – ‘The Garage Inspector’ – has become Schaeffler’s first UK Brand Ambassador. Andy has been supporting Schaeffler’s REPXPERT team by presenting at various trade fairs and training events over recent months, sharing his expertise on building up a workshop brand and profile, while also offering tips and best practice techniques on how to make a business profitable. Following a positive and successful start to their working relationship, Andy has now accepted an invitation to become an official ‘Brand Ambassador’, which he described as “overwhelming”. On being offered the role, he said: “To be associated with a leading global brand, like Schaeffler, a company that I trusted for its quality of components during my years owning and running workshops, the opportunity was one that I simply couldn’t turn down. “I am very proud; over the years, I have endorsed the use of original equipment parts, so I am a perfect match for Schaeffler. I have a passion for helping the independent sector, and this new role will only help my ambition of achieving that.” Because of his familiarity with the workshop business, Andy will be mainly focused on supporting the REPXPERT team, as well as conducting various media duties. REPXPERT users will also be able to redeem bonus points to enrol on one of his one-day business courses held at various UK locations throughout the year. In a message to technicians, he said: “We are here to help, guide and assist REPXPERT users. The challenges of running a workshop today, and in the future, are huge; therefore, this is a unique partnership, which will enable all users to not only access excellent technical training, but also benefit from my business acumen on the same platform” Schaeffler Managing Director, Nigel Morgan, said: “Andy is a familiar face to most vehicle technicians, who appreciate the fact that he has been there, done that and got the T-shirt to prove it.
Shifting demands, shifting gears
Garages that thought they would be veering away from MOTs in favour of essential repairs during the Coronavirus lockdown are still doing MOT tests at roughly the same rate, it has been suggested.

While DVSA figures showed a 78% drop in MOT performed between 30 March and 24 April, marketing agency Digital Incubator says the independent garages it works with that remained open during the lockdown have not seen such a steep drop.
“We have a lot of garage clients that have switched from MOT campaigns to clutch and gearbox work,” explained Jamie Stoulger, Sales Director and Operations Manager at Digital Incubator. “However, our clients are still generating a steady flow of MOT enquires.”

Campaigns
The marketing agency works with garages across the UK, and currently has over 1,200 motor trade campaigns ongoing. 80% of customers are in the independent sphere.

Jamie continued: “Regardless of the MOT not being relevant, people are still getting their cars picked up. A lot of our clients run a collect and delivery service. We are running that via the ad campaigns and on the website.”
There has been an impact, Jamie confirmed, but a mild one at best, and work overall continues: “MOTs have slowed down slightly, that just what it is, but regardless of us being in the middle of this pandemic, if someone still has to go into work and their car breaks down, they still need to get it repaired. They are not going to just leave it on the side of the road and deal with it six months later. You need it done. As a result, our clients are still generating leads.”

Performance
We asked Jamie he thought this has taken many of their garage clients by surprise. “I wouldn’t say so,” he replied. “There are a lot of franchised dealerships and service centres that have just closed their doors without even thinking about it. They just went ‘we can get funding, let’s just put everyone on furlough’. The garage businesses that decided to pummel through this, they are still performing. There might be a small dip in some cases, but across the board, our averages have not really dropped. I don’t want to make a bold statement and say it isn’t affecting anyone – it is – but they are on average not far behind where they usually are. It has hit them, but we are not talking about 50%. The drops in business are probably around 10% to 15%.”

Situation
On what has been in many cases blanket closure by across much of the franchised network, Jamie observed: “I worry about the outlets that are closing their doors without making the slightest attempt at generating business. It’s still out there. People forget that. Across the board, if you think about it logically, there might only be 50% of the business available, but if 80% of the outlets are closing down, the garages staying open will benefit. I think a lot of businesses are going to come back to a very big decline in their own customer base. Their customers have had chance to test another garage out. If they had a better service, I know where they will go the second time around.

“I think some businesses have taken things a little too far. There are things you can put in place, like contactless pick-up and delivery. Dealerships could have put in place what the independents have done to keep their workers safe and the customers safe. If you can, do everything contactless. A lot of companies are going to go bust because of this. The best bet is to do things safely, ensure it is all contactless, but keep the doors open. The business is out there, they just need to be a bit more open about how to get it.”
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