News

News

Uni-Select Inc.:
New Sales leadership and Branch opening at FinishMaster
Additional branch openings for The Parts Alliance

Boucherville (Québec), July 16, 2018 – Uni-Select Inc. ("Uni-Select", TSX: UNS), is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Adams as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at FinishMaster and the opening of new branches at FinishMaster and The Parts Alliance. 

Chris is responsible for all US branches and is leading all sales and marketing efforts in the United States. He joins FinishMaster from ABRA Auto Body & Glass LP, a major multi-shop operator in the collision repair industry. Prior, he was in senior executive roles at Pep Boys and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

FinishMaster has also opened a second location in Oregon. Located in Eugene, this new branch supports FinishMaster’s strategic expansion plan in the Northwest region and follows the opening of the Portland branch in January 2017. 

“We are thrilled to have Chris join our team and help us accelerate profitable growth at FinishMaster. Additionally, the opening of our Eugene branch location helps us extend our customer coverage initiative in the Pacific Northwest,” said Steve Arndt, President and Chief Operating Officer, FinishMaster.

The Parts Alliance opened three new branches in the United Kingdom, two at the end of April and one at the end of June. The ongoing programme of openings is built upon continued investment from The Parts Alliance, demonstrating its commitment to develop their trusted local motor factor brands, thereby marrying local service with national strength. This follows 4 branch openings since the beginning of 2018, for a total of 9 since the acquisition of The Parts Alliance by Uni-Select in August 2017.
The Parts Alliance now operates 176 branch locations.

“We are pleased with the expansion to our branch network as we continue to invest in trusted regional brands. We look forward to reaching new customers with our winning blend of leading automotive brands and industry-leading technology,” noted Peter Sephton, President and Chief Executive Officer, European Automotive Group.

“At Uni-Select, we are committed to extending our leadership positions in all three businesses. Building the best team and extending our customer coverage are key company initiatives,” added Henry Buckley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Uni-Select.

ABOUT UNI-SELECT

Uni-Select is a leader in the distribution of automotive refinish and industrial paint and related products in North America, as well as a leader in the automotive aftermarket parts business in Canada and in the UK. Uni Select is headquartered in Boucherville, Québec, Canada, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol UNS.

In Canada, Uni-Select supports over 16,000 automotive repair and collision repair shops through a growing national network of more than 1,100 independent customers and over 60 company-owned stores, many of which operate under the Uni-Select BUMPER TO BUMPER®, AUTO PARTS PLUS® AND FINISHMASTER® store banner programs. It also supports over 3,900 shops and stores through its automotive repair/installer shop banners, as well as through its automotive refinish banners.

In the United States, Uni-Select, through its wholly-owned subsidiary FinishMaster, Inc., operates a national network of over 200 automotive refinish company-owned stores under the FINISHMASTER banner which services a network of over 30,000 customers annually, of which it is the primary supplier to over 6,800 collision repair centre customers.

In the UK and Ireland, Uni-Select, through its Parts Alliance group of subsidiaries, is a leading distributor of automotive parts supporting over 23,000 customer accounts with a network of close to 200 locations including over 170 company-owned stores.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

The information provided in this press release may include some forward-looking information, which could include certain risks and uncertainties, which may cause the final results to be significantly different from those listed or implied within this news release. For additional information with respect to risks and uncertainties, refer to the Annual Report filed by Uni-Select with the Canadian securities commissions. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release, and Uni‑Select does not undertake to publicly update such forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Pierre Boucher, CPA, CMA
Jennifer McCaughey, CFA
MaisonBrison Communications
Tel. : (514) 731-0000
pierre@maisonbrison.com
jennifer@maisonbrison.com
investorrelations@uniselect.com