Apex Auto Parts Becomes Part of Sanel Chain

By Tom Donaldson

Atlantic News, July 11, 1995

[The following article is courtesy of the Atlantic News.]

AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS -- Florian Kozinczak, manager of Sanel Auto Parts, finds a part on his computer through the LAN computer network which allows him to get parts shipped overnight to the store.
[Atlantic News Photo by Tom Donaldson]

HAMPTON -- Recent economic indicators show New Hampshire to be slow in recovering from the recession, but Hampton is beginning to make business improvement with innovative new business, and new twists to old business. The Sanel Company, a Concord-based automotive parts concern with 31 New England stores recently acquired Apex Auto Parts of 38 Depot Square. Apex had served Hampton, Hampton Falls, Exeter, Seabrook, and Rye for fifteen years with a full line of parts for both repair shops and individuals.

Florian Kozinczak, former owner of Apex, is now the manager of Sanel. After several months of negotiations over the sale, Kozinczak agreed to manage the Sanel operation because of its top reputation and its fast availability of products. "I have a good feeling about the company," said the manager. "It is a locally owned (Concord) family firm that has its roots in New Hampshire." He added, "It was a tough decision, but I think the right people succeeded Apex."

Kozinczak says that nothing will change for the old customers except that they will take advantage of Sanel's volume buying for 31 stores with the savings passed on to the consumer. "Our customers are beneficiaries of buying power." Sanel has stores in Exeter and Portsmouth, and acquisition of the Hampton location will fill the void from Rye to the Massachusetts border and Exeter to the coast. Auto parts stores traditionally cover a five-to seven-mile radius efficiently and this will fill that area for Sanel.

Kozinczak pointed out a situation which had just occurred where a special part was needed by a customer in Seabrook. Sanel was able to furnish the part by overnight air freight to the Hampton store, who could deliver it the next morning to the customer. The Hampton store has a LAN computer network that can access the parts inventory of all Sanel stores for quick availability of thousands of items. The Hampton store lists over 30,000 parts numbers in its own inventory

It is traditional in the parts industry that sales are generally 2/3 wholesale and 1/3 retail. Kozinczak said he didn't know what Sanel's ratio was as yet, but he said that the customers with whom he had been dealing knew that he was aware of the type of product needed through his involvement with that customer. The aggressive and progressive twist to an existing firm should bring increased business to the company and to the area.