Report: Independent repair shop financial outlook & parts delivery disruption 

• 91% of independent repair shops reported a decrease in revenue this year
• 47% of independent repair shops are still occasionally experiencing disruption in parts delivery
• Despite occasional delays, only 11% of independent repair shops are sourcing parts from alternative suppliers

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Dec. 10, 2020 –  IMR Inc., the industry’s leading full-service automotive market research firm, has released new insights on the current financial situation of independent repair shops in light of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as insights on disruptions in parts delivery.

As of December 1, 2020, 91% of independent repair shops have reported a decrease in revenue this year.

1.3% of those shops are expecting that their business won’t financially recover from the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an additional 18.5% of shops responded that their revenue has since returned to normal.

Compared to a similar survey taken in May 2020, shops had a more optimistic outlook on when they anticipated their businesses would experience financial recovery. 33.9% of shops believed it would take less than a year to recover, which has dropped to 22.9% as of the December survey. Ten months into the pandemic, 17.4% of shops anticipate that it will take more than a year to financially recover compared to 2.5% this past May. 41% of shops stated that they don’t have any idea when revenue will return to normal levels compared to 60% when asked the same question in May.

In addition to financial challenges, independent repair shops are also still experiencing some delay in parts delivery. When asked about delivery delays in May, 25.8% of shop owners stated that they were either “frequently” or “very frequently” experiencing disruptions. Shop owners were once again asked about parts delivery issues in November 2020, with only 3.6% responding that they are still frequently experiencing delays. 47% are now experiencing delays “occasionally.” Amongst those shops having issues with parts supply, 58.6% are “rarely” ordering those delayed parts from an alternate supplier, where 11% are “frequently” ordering from another source.

About IMR Inc.

IMR Inc. provides syndicated and proprietary research as well as comprehensive, expert-level insights for the automotive industry with over 45 years of trusted service in the aftermarket and original equipment sectors. IMR Inc. serves as a trusted research provider and advisor to a full spectrum of automotive companies nationwide, with research frequently published in industry association factbooks, status reports and other media. For more information, call 800-654-1079, email Info@AutomotiveResearch.com or visit www.AutomotiveResearch.com.