Byers also said that changes coming for 2012 will "set the stage for growth."
In 2012 CARSTAR plans to grow existing store revenues and profits, add new stores especially in California, add new MSO insurance relationships, and fully deploy CARSTAR solution, the group's new management system in partnership with Mitchell. The MSO aims to add 50 new US stores in 2012.
CARSTAR did have a presence in California in the early 90s, but it did not last. Byers said that he thinks this current expansion into California will be more successful because CARSTAR now has an insurance department and a purchasing department which make the company more stable.
Byers said the way CARSTAR is now is "a dramatic difference over where we were in the early 90s."
Byers also discusses the affect this mild winter has had on locations that normally see an increase in repairs due to winter weather. He said although the mild winter has clearly affected business across the US, CARSTAR depends on KPIs and DRPs to continue driving its business.
"The industry...has seen a softening in the third quarter of 2011 into this year" due to the absence of inclement winter weather, according to Byers.
For more information about CARSTAR please visit www.carstar.com.
