In unprecedented times such as these, looking ahead with a sense of optimism is not always easy. However, Damien Larkin, General Manager of Comline Ireland believes the aftermarket can see the future with some confidence.

Damien who works at Comline Ireland’s Monaghan HQ says, “COVID-19 is a global human tragedy and we must not lose sight of the pain and suffering it continues to cause here in Ireland and around the World.” Damien also recognises the economic uncertainty the pandemic has produced and is under no illusions about the huge challenges businesses now face.

However, particularly in relation to the aftermarket, Damien sees grounds for some optimism. He points to recently published car sales data saying “The numbers right across Europe are down 76% year-on-year in April and in Ireland it is even more stark with registrations down 96%. People are  choosing to run their vehicle for longer and shelve plans to buy new. This means further maintenance and service requirements and that ultimately means increased demand for replacement parts. Whilst I hope the new car market will rebound, it would be a wider catastrophe if it didn’t, this current downturn can only spell good news for the aftermarket.”

Damien also believes an aftermarket bounce-back will be strengthened by the fact that “The aftermarket, and Comline Ireland in particular, is all about offering a value-for-money alternative. Reliability, quality and value is the order of the day and that’s what Comline Ireland, and the entire aftermarket is here to provide.”

Damien also reflects back to the financial crisis of 2009 when at a time of severe recession, Comline Group customers, almost without exception, saw a significant up-turn in their business. He says, “Ireland is once again looking for a cost-effective solution for vehicle maintenance and I firmly believe that Comline Ireland and its motor factor customers are at the forefront of an aftermarket delivering that very solution.”

From a practical perspective, Comline Ireland is working strictly to Government guidelines and social distancing rules, but with the shelves well stocked to meet demand.  Damien says, “Prior to COVID-19 we expanded our warehouse capacity and have now taken steps to ensure excellent availability across our product ranges.”