Turners invests in repair platform

Turners Automotive Group has announced it has acquired 50 per cent of My Auto Shop, an online booking platform for 300-plus mechanics throughout New Zealand.

The company says the deal offers strategic value in accelerating the growth of the vehicle repair and maintenance business, and adding value for Turners’ customers by expanding the group’s services into after-sales vehicle repairs and servicing. 

Todd Hunter, Turners chief executive officer, adds: “Vehicle servicing and repairs is a $3 billion business in New Zealand and has been a gap in the Turners’ offering. 

“We buy and sell vehicles, we can insure and finance those vehicles, and now we can add an offer to service and repair vehicles. The potential lifetime value of our customers to us has increased substantially.”

He continues that the investment will broaden the group’s relationship with customers by providing “value and interactions between buying and selling vehicle touchpoints”. 

The value of the transaction was not disclosed but involves Trade Me and the My Auto Shop founders selling down part of their stakes and Turners injecting new growth capital. 

My Auto Shop is a vehicle repair platform with more than 300 MTA-approved repairers as well as a mobile repair offering from a fleet of My Auto Shop branded mechanics. 

It was founded in January 2020 by Andy Bowie, a former general manager of Uber and Uber Eats NZ, and Richard Wafer, the former chief operating officer for My Food Bag. 

In announcing the deal to the NZX on September 10, Hunter says there is an opportunity to cross-sell My Auto Shop services to Turners’ more than 200,000 customers across Turners Cars, Autosure Insurance and Oxford Finance. 

“We see the My Auto Shop customer experience as a very good fit,” he explains. 

“My Auto Shop’s mobile offering brings a material point of difference to vehicle repairs and maintenance. My Auto Shop is transforming the customer experience both digitally and in-person, which fits well with what Turners is doing across the automotive services landscape.” 

Grant Baker, chairman of Turners, says the investment fits in with its plans to consolidate and scale across the automotive sector. 

“My Auto Shop’s vision of making vehicle repairs easier is already well established, the business has demonstrated it can deliver, and partnering with Turners will unlock substantial growth upside,” he adds.