Northcoast Research released its monthly report on commercial automotive aftermarket outlet sales, noting the channel continued to “heat up” in April 2013. The report is based on input from 300 garage owners nationwide. Following are findings:

The current sales index increased 2.7 percent sequentially to finish the month at 60.2. 

This performance is noteworthy as it represented the first time in nearly two years that the report recorded a print north of 60.0. A reading above 50.0 suggests that end-market demand increased on a year-over-year basis.

The current sales index finished in expansionary territory in April, largely on the back of an increase in the average ticket; however, traffic trends across the channel improved for the second straight month.

For the third consecutive month, consumers bucked the recent trend of deferring maintenance as the garage owners in the survey noted that preventive work helped drive sales during April 2013.

The collective outlook of the technicians in the sample remained upbeat at the end of April. The most commonly cited reasons for the positive outlook were the easy comparisons that lie ahead and the belief that deferred maintenance has been such a pervasive headwind for so long that it has created a glut of pent-up demand for repair work.

For more information, contact Northcoast Research at 216-468-6900.