Here we stand in the middle of the toughest recession in modern history, and on the one hand, we are told that the worst of the financial part of the downturn is over. Regrettably we are told that unemployment is far from its peak, and in the United Kingdom is expected to swell from the already historic high of 2.2 million, right up to 3 million.

Presently drivers are significantly reducing the mileage they do in their automobiles, as a result they require less and less servicing and wear parts, and as the recession continues to take effect, particularly when unemployment adds to it, there will be many drivers giving up their cars completely.

So, if you’re a car parts retailer, which goods should you stocking so that you can protect your turnover, and so overcome the negative effect of the recession on your income?

You’ll probably already know that, universal wear-parts and consumables are always excellent sellers, and as the recession takes hold, more and more owners change over to doing their own simple repairs. This means that bulbs are a worthwhile item to stock. There aren’t too many different SKUs to cover the entire range of automobiles on the market. Wiper Blades are the same. Not too many part numbers cover the whole market, they’re easy to change, and frequently need replacing. It’s the same situation with things such as Oil and Air Filters, Spark Plugs etc., as owners start to carry out their own simple servicing.

As a retailer, you’ll also see that sales of car care products such as quality car shampoo and Car Care Wax will grow as owners switch away from using car washes as they attempt to cut expenditure, and take steps to better maintain the condition and value of their car.

Other items to stock in a recession are upgrade or aspirational items like in-car entertainment and Sat Nav Systems, as well as items for personalising your car, like sports steering wheels, seats etc. These items span a vast range of prices with the cheapest items starting at less than £10, being things like Gear Stick Knobs, performance Wiper Blades or even retrofit Flat Wipers. At the top of this range of products people will spend thousands on a customised interior, sports suspension, performance brakes etc , etc.

The contradictory thing about a recession is that sales of this type of product will hold up, or even increase. That’s because those people who are still in work often find that they have more disposable income. Interest rates drop, reducing their mortgage payments, and many commodity prices also fall. Nonetheless, as a result of uncertainty about their job security, these same people are reluctant to commit to major capital spending such as buying a new car. They therefore end up keeping their car longer, and so they start to indulge themselves by spending their increasing disposable income on upgrading, updating or personalising their car.