Capricorn Society

What Capricorn Society does

Capricorn Society Limited is an Australian member-owned cooperative, founded in 1974 and headquartered in West Perth, that serves the automotive and broader machinery aftermarket across Australia and New Zealand. Its core platform is the Trade Account, which provides instant credit and consolidated monthly invoicing to Members purchasing through a network of over 2,000 Preferred Suppliers, supported by the myCAP online portal. Members — primarily small and mid-sized automotive repair workshops, with adjacent verticals in marine and transport — also receive Capricorn Rewards points, free access to Capricorn Service Data (a vehicle service information platform powered by Autodata covering 34,000+ vehicles), insurance and risk protection through Capricorn Risk Services and Capricorn Insurance Services, travel services via Capricorn Travel, and extended finance products including CAP ezi-finance and CAP ezi-parts.

The business operates as a two-sided marketplace combined with a financial services overlay. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and interest on trade credit, margins on Preferred Supplier transactions (Capricorn facilitated nearly $4 billion in such transactions in the recent year), insurance brokerage, extended finance, and travel agency services. Profits are redistributed to Members through Trade Rebates — including an interim rebate of up to $15.7 million announced for the 2025/26 period — and the Capricorn Rewards program, with cumulative Member Returns exceeding $100 million.

Capricorn employs over 300 staff and is governed by a Member-elected Board, with no external private equity or venture capital ownership. Strategic activity in 2025–2026 has focused on vertical and service expansion: the acquisition of Australian Skilled Migration (ASM) to address the automotive skills shortage, the launch of dedicated marine Preferred Suppliers, and continued product line extension across diagnostics (AutoBoost), fuel (Capricorn Fuel Card), and finance (CAP ezi-finance, CAP ezi-parts). Its flagship member engagement programs include the annual Capricorn Convention and the Capricorn Rising Stars Awards, sponsored by Castrol and Repco.

Name

Capricorn Society

Legal name

Capricorn Society Limited

Website

https://capricorn.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Capricorn Society is an Australian member-owned cooperative, founded in 1974, that provides trade credit, rewards, insurance, and finance services to over 30,000 automotive workshops and Preferred Suppliers across Australia and New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Trade and Financial Services

NAICS

Credit Card Issuing (522210), Credit Unions (522130)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Branded Credit Cards (FSAKABAB)

Keywords

• Trade credit services
• Automotive cooperative
• Member rewards program
• Preferred supplier network
• Consolidated invoicing

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Trade Credit and Financing: Capricorn provides instant credit and consolidated monthly invoicing for purchases made through its Preferred Supplier network. Extended finance is provided through CAP ezi-finance. Revenue is generated through interest on credit facilities and transaction fees.
2. Preferred Supplier Network Fees: Capricorn facilitates transactions between members and over 2,000 Preferred Suppliers, earning fees or margins on these transactions. The company facilitated almost $4 billion in sales with Preferred Suppliers.
3. Capricorn Rewards Program: Members earn and redeem Capricorn Rewards Points on eligible purchases. The rewards program drives member engagement and purchasing through the Capricorn network.
4. Insurance and Risk Services: Risk protection and insurance brokerage services arranged through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd and Capricorn Insurance Services Pty Ltd.
5. Travel Services: Capricorn Travel provides travel agency services to members, with reward points usable to pay for trips.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Capricorn Society is a member-owned cooperative that provides automotive and machinery aftermarket businesses across Australia and New Zealand with a Trade Account offering instant credit and consolidated monthly invoicing for purchases made through a network of over 2,000 Preferred Suppliers. Members earn Capricorn Rewards Points on eligible purchases and gain access to additional services including Capricorn Service Data (vehicle technical information powered by Autodata), Capricorn Insurance, Capricorn Travel, Capricorn Mutual, and the myCAP online portal for account management.

Product overview

Capricorn Society is a Member-owned cooperative organization providing financial and business solutions to automotive and machinery aftermarket businesses across Australia and New Zealand since 1974. The core offering is the Trade Account platform, which provides instant credit access, consolidated monthly invoicing, and connection to over 2,000 Preferred Suppliers. The product portfolio includes Capricorn Rewards (loyalty points program), Capricorn Service Data (vehicle service information powered by Autodata), Capricorn Insurance and risk services, Capricorn Travel, Capricorn Mutual, and Capricorn Fuel Card. Members access services through the myCAP online portal. Additional offerings include CAP ezi-finance (extended credit), AutoBoost diagnostics, and Capricorn Purple Pages trade directory. Capricorn Society has over 30,000 Members and facilitates nearly $4 billion in sales with Preferred Suppliers annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myCAP: Online member portal for Capricorn Members to access services, manage accounts, and view trade information.
• Capricorn Rewards
• Capricorn Service Data
• Capricorn Mutual
• Capricorn Insurance
• Capricorn Travel
• Purple Pages
• Ignition
• CAP ezi-finance
• AutoBoost
• Capricorn Convention
• Rising Stars Awards

Products and services

• Trade Account The core financial service providing instant credit and consolidated monthly invoicing for purchases made through Capricorn's network of over 2,000 Preferred Suppliers, enabling Members (automotive workshops and machinery businesses) to manage cashflow with simplified paperwork and access to credit.
• Capricorn Rewards One of Australasia's most generous rewards programs, allowing Members to earn and redeem points on eligible purchases made through Capricorn's Preferred Supplier network.
• Capricorn Service Data Free access to online service information for over 34,000 vehicles from over 60 manufacturers with 96% car coverage in Australia and 87% in New Zealand, including service schedules, service illustrations, repair times, an estimate calculator, and over 150 training videos. Powered by Autodata.
• Capricorn Insurance Insurance and risk protection services for Members' businesses, arranged through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd and Capricorn Insurance Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 435197), including general insurance brokerage services.
• Capricorn Travel Travel agency services provided by Capricorn Travel Australia Pty Ltd, allowing Members to book travel and use Capricorn Rewards Points earned to help pay for trips.
• Capricorn Mutual An insurance alternative operating solely for the benefit of its members, providing risk protections available through the Capricorn Group.
• CAP ezi-finance Extended finance product provided by Capricorn Society and Capricorn Society Financial Services Pty Ltd, allowing Members to invest in business growth.
• Capricorn Fuel Card Fuel card provided by Capricorn Society through third-party service providers, enabling convenient fuel purchasing for Members.
• myCAP Online Portal The online member portal providing Capricorn Members access to their accounts, Capricorn ID login, trade account management, and access to Capricorn's online services.
• Capricorn Purple Pages Trade directory and marketing service provided by Capricorn Society Limited, helping connect Members with preferred suppliers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $4 billion in annual transactions facilitated through the Preferred Supplier network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Preferred Supplier PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2025Trade Rebate period covers purchases made through Capricorn from 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026, allocated proportionally to members' trade purchases.
• AutodatacoreTechnology or IntegrationAutodata provides the technical data powering Capricorn Service Data, covering 34,000+ vehicles from over 60 manufacturers with 96% car coverage in Australia and 87% in New Zealand. Includes service schedules, diagrams, repair times, and training videos.
• Preferred Suppliers NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 2,000 Preferred Suppliers across automotive and related industries providing goods and services to Capricorn members. Members earn Capricorn Rewards Points on eligible purchases through the network.
• CastrolflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor of Capricorn Rising Stars Awards program. Provides $7,500 cash prize for overall Australian winner and supports industry talent development.
• RepcoflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Capricorn Rising Stars Awards providing workshop prizes, vouchers, and technical support subscriptions to winners and finalists.
• The Workshop WhisperercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing Service Advisor Pro online program subscriptions to Rising Stars finalists and winners, valued at over $5,000 per workshop.
• RepairifycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing AsTech diagnostic equipment and Remote Services Licenses to Rising Stars winners, valued at up to $5,950+GST.
• Capricorn MutualcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapricorn Mutual is Capricorn's insurance alternative, operating solely for the benefit of its members. Provides risk protection and insurance products through Capricorn Risk Services and Capricorn Insurance Services.
• Capricorn TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapricorn Travel Australia Pty Ltd provides travel agency services to members, with ability to use Capricorn Rewards Points to pay for trips.
• Capricorn Group SubsidiariescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapricorn Group includes Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd, Capricorn Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Capricorn Mutual Management Pty Ltd, Capricorn Travel Australia Pty Ltd, Capricorn 1974 Pty Ltd, and Capricorn Society Financial Services Pty Ltd.
• Australian Skilled Migration (ASM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapricorn Group acquired Australian Skilled Migration (ASM) to support members with skilled workforce needs in the automotive industry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bapcor Limited: Bapcor is the largest automotive aftermarket parts distributor in Australia and New Zealand (parent of Burson Auto Parts and Truckline). It serves independent workshops through trade accounts and Preferred Supplier networks, directly overlapping with Capricorn's core member base and value proposition.
• Repco (GPC Asia Pacific): Repco is a major Australian automotive parts retailer and trade supplier, owned by Genuine Parts Company. It offers trade accounts to workshops and competes directly with Capricorn's Preferred Supplier ecosystem for member purchasing.

Broad incumbents

• NAPA Auto Parts (Genuine Parts Company): NAPA is the largest automotive aftermarket parts distribution network in North America, operated by Genuine Parts Company. It serves professional installers through trade accounts and a vast supplier network, mirroring Capricorn's cooperative trade credit model at much larger scale.
• AutoZone: AutoZone is a leading North American retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts with a Commercial program serving professional installers. While primarily retail, its commercial offering overlaps with Capricorn's trade account value proposition.
• O'Reilly Automotive: O'Reilly is one of the largest US automotive parts retailers, with a strong professional service provider (Commercial) program serving independent workshops. Comparable to Capricorn in serving the professional installer segment with credit and supply solutions.

Regional players

• Alliance Automotive Group: Alliance Automotive Group is a major European automotive parts distributor serving independent workshops through national and regional brands. It operates a multi-brand distribution model similar to Capricorn's Preferred Supplier approach, though primarily in EMEA markets.
• Mitre 10: Mitre 10 is an Australian and New Zealand hardware cooperative with a similar member-owned structure to Capricorn. While in a different vertical (hardware vs automotive), its cooperative governance model and member benefits design are closely analogous.
• Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) / Peter Warren Automotive: Peter Warren Automotive is a major Australian automotive dealership group providing new vehicle sales, service, and parts. While primarily OEM-aligned rather than independent-workshop-focused, it competes for the same automotive aftermarket service revenue pool that Capricorn's members address.

Others

• Ace Hardware: Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, operating a member-owned model with shared services and revenue distribution. It represents a comparable cooperative/mutual business model template relevant to understanding Capricorn's structural economics.

Emerging players

• Cromwell Tools / Snap-on Credit: Snap-on provides professional tools, diagnostics, and credit/financing solutions to automotive workshops globally. Its Snap-on Credit offering directly parallels Capricorn's trade credit facility for the same professional installer customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Capricorn Society