The independent aftermarket sector is expanding at the expense of the franchise dealer sector. That is the message from the latest Trend Tracker UK report.

The report states that in 2011, independents took 45.7% of all servicing and repair work in the UK and although detailed Irish figures are not available, it is safe to assume that this percentage is even higher here.

Although still less than a 50% share of the UK market, the independent trend is up from 42% in 2010, something that will have many dealer groups, who are now more reliant on aftermarket revenue, very worried.

The success of the independent sector can be put down to a number of factors. Firstly, price has been a key issue this year and savings available from independents have been vital. However, independents still also come out on top in terms of good customer service and the personal touch. There also appears to be growing motorist confidence in the independent sectors ability to cope with the latest technology.

Analysts now believe that much of the franchise sector needs to re-evaluate its customer service approach and that just investing in IT service chasing systems, will not be enough to change these trends.