What Autocraze does

Autocraze is an independent automotive parts retailer and service centre operating from a single site in Little Hulton, Manchester. The business has traded continuously since 1984, supplying vehicle parts and accessories to retail and trade customers while offering on-site services including key cutting, wheel nut removal, roof box and roof bar hire, and cycle repairs. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Autocare Discount Centre Ltd and is a member of the A1 Motorstores buying group, which provides group-level purchasing scale and brand affiliation.

The operating model is a hybrid of counter-based parts retail and light workshop services. Customers transact either at the trade counter for parts and accessories or book ancillary services that leverage existing workshop capacity. There is no disclosed e-commerce platform of significance; the company's online footprint is limited to dedicated domains for niche hire services (roofboxhire.co.uk, roofbarhire.co.uk). Underlying technology is conventional for the sector — point-of-sale, inventory management, and supplier ordering systems — with no proprietary platform, software products, or technology licensing arrangements described.

Revenue mechanics are split between parts sales (typically low-to-mid gross margin retail), fitting and workshop services (higher margin labour component), and hire fees for roof boxes, roof bars, and related accessories. The customer base is composed of walk-in individual consumers and local trade buyers, with no disclosed enterprise or fleet accounts. Geographic reach is constrained to the immediate Manchester/Salford catchment area, and there are no indications of multi-site operations, franchising, or online fulfilment at scale.

Name

Autocraze

Legal name

Autocraze, Ltd.

Website

https://www.autocraze.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Autocraze is a vehicle repair center that sells automotive parts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Hulton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Parts Sales: Sale of automotive parts and accessories including batteries, bulbs, wiper blades, brake components, mirrors, number plates, and detailing products.
2. Service and Fitting: Charges for fitting services such as wiper blade fitting, battery fitting, bulb fitting, roof bar/box fitting, and locking wheel nut removal.
3. Equipment Hire: Roof box and roof bar hire services. 400L roof boxes from £35/week plus £100 deposit; 630L from £65/week plus £150 deposit. Roof bars from £40/week.
4. Key Cutting and Programming: Cutting and programming replacement car keys and fobs, including laser cut types and transponder keys.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Autocraze is a single-location Manchester-based automotive parts retailer and vehicle maintenance service specialist. It sells car parts, accessories, detailing products, and equipment while providing in-store fitting, diagnostic, key cutting and programming, locking wheel nut removal, brake pipe fabrication, vinyl graphics cutting, and roof box/bar hire services to individual vehicle owners.

Product overview

Autocraze (A1 Motorstore) is a single-location automobile repair and maintenance service specialist operating as a retail store in Manchester. The company offers a unified portfolio of in-store automotive services and products rather than a platform architecture. Core services include replacement car keys and fobs (cutting and programming), locking wheel nut removal, and various fitting services (wiper blades, bulbs, batteries). The business operates a hire service for roof boxes (400L and 630L) and roof bars. Parts and maintenance products are sold including batteries, brakes, suspension parts, oils, and fluids. Additional offerings include car accessories, detailing and cleaning products, vehicle security devices, cycle sales and repairs, travel and towing equipment, number plate manufacturing, and vinyl graphics cutting. The company provides free parking, accepts all major cards, and has served customers for over 40 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Replacement Car Keys and Fobs Cutting and programming of replacement car keys and fobs including laser cut types, transponder keys, battery replacement, and remote fob programming for many vehicle models, performed on-premises for individual vehicle owners.
• Locking Wheel Nuts / Bolts Removal Removal service for lost or broken locking wheel nut keys using specialised equipment, typically available without an appointment, for individual motorists.
• Fitting and Other Services In-store fitting and diagnostic services including free wiper blade fitting, free oil and coolant check, free battery and alternator check, battery fitting, bulb fitting, roof bar and roof box fitting, brake pipe fabrication, and fault code diagnostics and reset.
• Roof Box and Roof Bar Hire Rental service for 400L and 630L roof boxes and roof bars at weekly rates, including fitting and removal at the store, for individual motorists with seasonal travel or hauling needs.
• Travel and Towing Equipment Retail sales of roof bars (side-mounted rail, fixed point, and foot/clamp types), roof boxes, towing electrical parts, lights, tow balls, and trailer boards for individual motorists.
• Detailing and Cleaning Products Retail of car cleaning and valeting supplies including products from Gtechniq, Meguiar's, and ValetPro, plus an exclusive Alpha-Detailing range for A1 Motorstores.
• Car Accessories Retail sales of car accessories including tools, seat covers, wheel trims, vehicle security devices (Disklok), spray paint, touch-up paint, car mats, and wind deflectors.
• Cycles Sales and Repairs Retail of cycles plus repair services including puncture repairs, brake and cable servicing, gear tuning, and assembly service for online bicycle purchases (excluding e-scooters).
• Auto Parts and Maintenance Spares Retail of automotive parts including car batteries (including Stop-Start types), bulbs, brakes, discs, pads, calipers, steering and suspension parts, exhaust parts, oils, coolants, wiper blades, mirrors, number plates, and K&N filters.
• Number Plate Supply and Fitting Supply and fitting of number plates in standard, 3D Gel, 4D Perspex, and Classic Black & Silver Aluminium variants, available while you wait for individual motorists.
• Vehicle Security Devices Retail of physical vehicle security devices including Sold Secure-approved Disklok steering locks and various budget-friendly security solutions for individual motorists.
• Vinyl Graphics Cutting Custom vinyl graphics cutting service for individual customer designs.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• A1 MotorstorescoreOthersAutocraze operates as A1 Motorstore and is a member of the A1 Motorstores network. The company is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Autocare Discount Centre Ltd. They also own/operate roofboxhire.co.uk and roofbarhire.co.uk domains.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Halfords: UK's largest high-street retailer of automotive parts, accessories, and bicycles, with in-store fitting for bulbs, batteries, and wipers — directly comparable to Autocraze's walk-in retail-plus-fitting model, though operating at significantly greater national scale.
• Euro Car Parts: Major UK retailer of car parts, accessories, and tools with both physical branches and a strong e-commerce platform. Closest comparable to Autocraze in product mix, with a much larger digital and branch footprint.
• Kwik Fit: UK's largest automotive service chain offering tyres, exhausts, brakes, batteries, and MOTs with nationwide fitting centres. Comparable to Autocraze on the fitting-services axis, though focused on mechanical service rather than parts retail.
• GSF Car Parts: UK independent-friendly motor factors with both trade counters and retail branches selling parts across braking, filtration, electrical, and engine components — directly overlapping Autocraze's core parts assortment.
• National Tyres and Autocare: UK branch network combining tyre fitting, servicing, brakes, batteries, and exhausts under one roof. Comparable to Autocraze on the small-jobs-without-appointment service proposition, scaled nationally.
• Motor Parts Direct: UK catalogue and branch-based motor factor selling common service parts (brakes, filters, batteries, wipers) to trade and retail customers — overlapping Autocraze's parts retail assortment with a stronger catalogue and trade-counter presence.
• Formula One Autocentres: UK chain of autocentres offering tyres, MOTs, servicing, brakes, batteries, and exhausts — closely comparable to Autocraze on the while-you-wait, no-appointment-needed value proposition, scaled across dozens of branches.

Broad incumbents

• ATS Euromaster: Established UK-wide automotive service network (tyres, MOTs, servicing, batteries, brakes) with a broad portfolio that includes the parts-and-fitting categories Autocraze serves, but at much larger scale and franchise structure.
• Cox Automotive UK: Large UK automotive services group encompassing Manheim vehicle auctions, Dealer Auction, and parts-and-service operations. Broad incumbent across the automotive aftermarket with capabilities that intersect with Autocraze's parts and fitting services at significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• Andrew Page: UK motor factor supplying parts to trade and retail customers across northern England with a regional branch and van-delivery model — overlapping Autocraze's parts range with stronger trade and distribution infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/autocrazemanchester
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/autocraze-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Autocraze