Goldwagen, the franchised
automotive parts chain, has opened its 100th store.
Since 1992, it has grown from a
single outlet in Pretoria West selling used Volkswagen parts to a parts giant providing
virtually any item for any brand available on the sub-continent.
The century was achieved on October
22, 2018, when Goldwagen number 100 opened in Newcastle, KZN. In the last
decade, the number of Goldwagen branches has more than doubled, the number of
vehicle brands catered for having grown massively too.
In 1992, that original store (a
converted house) sold only VW parts and was initially branded Golfwagen. They
started out stripping accident-damaged VWs and re-selling the parts. A second
store opened in 1995 and from VW they progressed – logically – to Audi. That
came about in 1997, with Goldwagen having been available as a franchise from
the year before. Brands and store count grew steadily, as did their
international network of suppliers.
Says CEO Joäo Da Costa, one of two
founders: “South African motoring consumers are looking for the best
aftermarket parts in terms of value to keep costs contained, but not at the
risk of impacting negatively on their motoring in any way. Our stores therefore
stock not only the best name brands from around the world but at the same time
provide our customers with tiers of parts so that they can find something that
suits their budget.”
2018 has been a massive year for Goldwagen
and has seen the addition of parts for Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Volvo and Jeep
– they now carry stock for 17 individual brands and have mutually-beneficial collaborations
with almost 50 parts and component suppliers spanning the globe.
