Genuine Parts Launch ‘House of Shine’ July 21, 2020
Established in 2017 by Crossgar brothers, Michael and Christopher Cleary, Genuine Parts UK (NI) has just launched a new brand – House of Shine – with its first product being a quality car shampoo.
This is the first in a number of car cleaning products that the brothers have planned, using the lockdown period to create the new identity and plan for the business moving forward.
Just last year, Genuine Parts UK (NI) was named as Family Business of the Year at the UK-wide eBay for Business Awards 2019; and the brothers’ focus on selling online has paid off with significant business being generated over the last few months as online purchases spiked.
“Over the past two years Christopher and I have built our automotive parts business via the eBay platform and it’s been hugely rewarding. Initially we ran the business in the evenings, but over the past year, I’m with the business full time, focusing all of my energy in growing Genuine Parts UK (NI),” explains Michael Cleary, Co-Director of Genuine Parts UK (NI) Ltd.
Lead by intuition and knowledge of the automotive industry, Michael and Chris spotted a gap in the market for a branded car shampoo that would be recognised throughout the industry for its quality. Using evenings and weekends over the past three months, the brothers committed to making this concept into reality and have invested over £20,000 in bringing the product to launch.
Christopher Cleary adds: “For many business owners, the past three months have been an unsettling period but our decision to sell online when we set up the business really helped us to weather the storm and keep our business trading. In fact, we experienced our busiest-ever month in April as the e-commerce boom peaked.
“Lockdown gave us extra time at the weekends and evenings to develop our own-brand offering, and we’re both proud and excited to finally launch House of Shine – a brand that we have huge hopes for.”
The brothers used vacant space at their premises in Crossgar to create dedicated space for ‘House of Shine’, where the product will be available to purchase in 2.5lt bottles and 1lt bottles. Staying true to their online business roots, House of Shine is also available on Amazon and on www.genuinepartsukni.com
“We have tested and tested this product and believe that it really is the best on the market. Currently we’re selling House of Shine via our established routes however we’re currently in talks with a major local distributor, which would deliver significant scale for House of Shine,” says Michael.
In addition to House of Shine, it’s an exciting for the business as Genuine Parts UK (NI) also opens its first trade counter, selling specialised lubricants, including Castrol Oil, to local farmers and the public.
Genuine Parts UK (NI) was established in 2017 following the return of Michael and Christopher from a two-year trip travelling across Australia, when the brothers took a risk and bought a small job lot of automotive parts on eBay.
From this first leap of faith in 2017, Michael and Christopher Cleary have built a business that has evolved from packing orders on their mum’s kitchen table to an 8,000 sq. ft. commercial premises in Crossgar.