Swedish autoglass repair firm completes purchase of UK counterpart
Stockholm-based Cary Group has finalised the purchase of a Bristol vehicle glass repair and replacement firm, to strengthen and consolidate its position in the UK.
The acquisition of J Huggins and Son means that Cary Group’s operations now account for the majority of National Windscreens’ consortium, representing 95% of the consortium’s total revenue.
Founded in 1971, family owned J Huggins and Son has 17 workshops for vehicle glass repair and replacement as well as a wholesale business. The company has around 120 employees.
The acquisition further consolidates Cary Group’s majority ownership of Tamworth-based National Windscreens’ operations of more than 100 centres and 800 mobile technicians. The independently owned company provides service coverage to the whole of the British Isles as well as parts of Europe.
Peter Watters, Board member of National Windscreens and MD of Cary UK, comments: “National Windscreens is a household name with a proud heritage and strong values that have been built over 40 years. We are extremely proud to continue the guardianship of such an important UK brand and excited by the opportunities this presents.”
“The heart of the National Windscreen brand is our highly experienced team, and they continue to make huge strides in providing new levels of smarter solutions utilising the latest technology. I am delighted with our business transformation journey over the last year, which has seen the integration of new systems and processes that are generating operational efficiencies and improvements to the customer journey.
“With Cary Group being a market leader in the automotive glass repair and replacement sector across 10 European countries, we benefit greatly from shared best practice. This is already strengthening the competitive edge of National Windscreens in areas such as technical development, digitisation and sustainability”.
