L. Schmidt and F. Millet (Autodoc): “The Autodoc model is robust, efficient and therefore sustainable”

Lennart Schmidt: In the first nine months, we recorded 17% growth (€1.33 billion in revenue) compared to 2024. We are well on track to achieve our growth target (+14-19% for 2025) we set at the beginning of the year.
 

L.S.: We always knew that professionals were buying on our BtoC platform. So we wanted to professionalise our offering for this customer segment. This new venture was made possible by our meeting with Franck Millet, who brought all his experience and knowledge of garages and the spare parts market in France to the table.

Franck Millet: It’s a good combination that offers garage owners the best of both worlds (digital and physical). Autodoc with its digital solution assets and extensive range, and a grass roots approach that allows for individual relationships with garages. It was a major challenge to succeed in a market as mature as France and to change habits. But garages quickly saw the value of our proposition. In November, Autodoc Pro crossed the €100 million sales revenue mark in France for the first time in a single year, already far surpassing the full-year 2024 result.

L.S.: We tested the possibility of making Autodoc Pro entirely digital. However, it quickly became clear to us that on-the-ground support is essential for repair shops. We decided to follow the model developed in France for its rollout in other markets.

F.M.: It took us three years in France to establish ourselves in the independent market among garage owners (23,000 garages connected and 106 representatives on the ground). It is therefore early to draw conclusions after just a few months of deployment in Germany. However, we are seeing people buying in to our model thanks to the platform’s ease of use, product range and pricing. So far, we have received very positive initial feedback with more then 4,500 garages already connected.

F.M.: Our value proposition is different. Our competitive online pricing helps workshops improve their margins or take on operation that would otherwise be less attractive. And beyond pricing the real differentiator is the support provided by our field agents, who offer personal assistance and proximity. Our delivery times generally range from D+3 to D+1, whereas traditional distributors can provide several deliveries per day. That why we position ourselves as an alternative supplier besides existing distributors.

L.S.: France is already fully covered, Germany is in the process of being rolled out, and we have just started in Italy. We are only at the beginning of our adventure with Autodoc Pro in other countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria). So we still have a long way to go.

L.S.: In the long term, may be. But for now, we are focusing on Europe (27 countries covered in BtoC), where there is still enormous growth potential. Barely 13% of parts sales are made online, but experts predict that this share will double by 2035. Compared to more generalist global operators, our approach is vertical and therefore very effective in integrating the complexities of the spare parts market. Add to this the continued popularity of DIY maintenance and the rise of online shopping, and the future looks very bright for us.

L.S.: They account for around 18% product sales in 2024. It’s a strategic business with strong customer loyalty.

F.M.: Garages start with premium brands, then they try our private labels and gradually build trust. Quality is essential for any private label in a professional environment. That’s why we developed goCore specifically for professionals to meet their high expectations for technical parts of impeccable quality.

L.S.: We are planning to open an additional warehouse in the United Kingdom next year. Logistics from our existing warehouses (Germany, Czechia, Poland and Belgium) are primarily for European market, it is not optimal for the British Isles.

L.S.: Over the last two years, we have recorded annual growth of over 17%, our profitability has improved, and we generated around €125 million in free cash flow in 2024 and our investments are self-financed with close to no debt. Our model is robust!