Powering network growth through the integration of car sales and servicing

Traditionally, those experiences have been separated. Independent garages and autocare centres focus on servicing, and vehicle supermarkets concentrate on retail. Outside of main dealer sales, it has been relatively uncommon for a driver to buy a car from an independent and return to the same site for routine maintenance or repairs.

So when HiQ Tyres & Autocare realised there was an opportunity to bring both sides of the ownership journey together, the network partnered with Carsa, one of the UK’s fastest growing used car retailers. There was a clear objective: align a vehicle retail environment with nationally recognised autocare expertise.

The result is a model that is now being adopted more widely across the country. Here is how it works and how franchisees or local garages can harness it.

Integrating sales and service

When HiQ Tyres & Autocare formed its strategic partnership with Carsa in 2024, customers were suddenly able to browse and purchase used vehicles, then return to the same location for servicing, maintenance and tyre fitting.

Dual-branded sites in Halesowen and Cannock were among the first to bring this concept to life, each offering a comprehensive range of services, including car sales, vehicle maintenance, tyre fitting and MOT testing.

For HiQ, the collaboration broadened its vehicle servicing market and helped to drive business in prime locations. For Carsa, founded only four years prior and growing rapidly, the benefit was equally clear: the backing of a nationally recognised autocare brand positioned directly within its retail footprint.

Craig Sprigmore, Goodyear Retail Director UK & Ireland, described the partnership as a “fantastic opportunity for both brands to present to a broader range of customers and become more visible in the local community,” adding it offered “a great opportunity for customers to buy and maintain their cars from the same location, making car ownership much easier.”

The commercial logic is straightforward. A sales customer becomes a servicing customer. A routine tyre enquiry may lead to a future vehicle purchase. Rather than operating in isolation, sales and servicing departments became linked both operationally and commercially, extending customer lifetime value.

A business model replicated nationwide

A similar rationale informed the decision by Richard Hardie Group to introduce HiQ Tyres & Autocare to its Ashington site in Northumberland, alongside its Fiat and MG Motor UK dealership operations in early 2025.

The family-run group has sold cars to drivers in the North East for more than five decades, but Nick Hardie, Managing Director of Richard Hardie Group, said that changing ownership cycles and customers retaining vehicles for longer have altered the aftersales landscape.

“We’ve always specialised in new car sales, but we’ve noticed that more customers are holding onto their cars for longer, meaning there’s a greater need for reliable and competitively priced servicing,” said Nick, on bringing HiQ on board. “We saw an opportunity to work with HiQ to provide a recognised, trusted and main dealer-quality autocare experience for our customers.”

By investing in a HiQ centre on site, the group expanded its offer to include tyres, MOTs, brakes, servicing and general repairs under the same roof as vehicle sales. The result is broader appeal beyond new car buyers alone.

And momentum continued. In November, HiQ announced a new partnership with HPL Motors, one of the North West’s most reputable used car retailers, to launch a servicing hub inside their car supermarket in Stockport. The partnership saw HiQ take on the operation of all servicing, repair and MOT functions on site, embedding its established expertise within an already busy retail environment.

The commercial case for ‘sales and service under one roof’

At its core, this model has not been about replacing an existing business, but rather enhancing local garages with HiQ’s national brand recognition, operational systems infrastructure, and expertise.

Now, dealer groups and independent car supermarkets benefit from:

• An expanded service portfolio without the need to build a new aftersales identity from scratch
• Access to HiQ’s market leading booking platform and point-of-sale system
• Increased workshop utilisation
• Greater customer lifetime value through repeat servicing and cross-selling
• Stronger visibility within the local community

Are you a car retailer ready to drive your business further? Find out how becoming a HiQ Tyres & Autocare franchisee could accelerate your growth. Visit HiQ’s Franchise With Us page to learn more and register your interest.