DPaschoal enters new phase
Valor Econômico
After five years of implementation of the business model that ended with the payment of commission on sales and services and thus generated significant impact in its cash, DPaschoal regained financial vigor and resumed the levels of earnings prior to the radical change promoted by its President, Luis Norberto Paschoal, member of the third generation of the founding families and Chairman of the family council. With earnings of R$ 1.7 billion (US$ 966 million) in 2010, the company, leader in the aftermarket of tires, batteries, brakes and shock absorbers, shrank as it bet on the long-term strategy that went through the concept of "destination store", inspired by the model of the retailer Zara. Now, with finances stabilized, the proposal is to grow and consolidate the concept of "green economy". "The motto is: we will not spend against the future", says the President.
According to Pascoal, between 2005 and 2006, when the company was at the apex of its history, it became clear the direction of the business model would not be sustained. "The client is will more and more question the need to replace the tire at that time, for example. The companies will have to adapt to that", says the Executive. "Besides, we are only working with pollutant products. It is necessary to reduce the impact on the environment".
From those assumptions, the company - besides chain, it includes DPK, the autoparts distributor that sold more than R$ 500 million (US$ 284.1 million) in 2010 - started investigating the possible time of replacement of the automotive components sold, established as a rule the replacement of parts only when required and ruled out the end of the commissions on the sale of products and services. At first, recalls Pascoal, the sales of bumpers fell 70%. "It was terrible... vendors turned towards us, the competition got angry", he says. "But today, they congratulate our initiative".
According to Pascoal, the company stopped making the exchange of parts in case it weren't strictly necessary, initially at a high price for DPaschoal itself, with the purpose of getting the customer loyalty, at the same time it caused the least possible impact on the environment. It was 2007. "The initial expectation was that, within five years, the client would already be partner in the endeavor". Before the end of the fifth year, says Pascoal, the customers' response - and the resumption of the earnings of the company - was confirmed. "We haven't excelled the earnings of 2006. But we are on the way".
Since 2007, 15 stores of DPaschoal were closed, reducing the number to 185 points around the country. One of the tasks of the company is recover markets that are relevant to the business, like São Paulo, where costs such as rent led to the reduction of the presence of the chain. Besides analyzing the reopening of stores - the number of franchises, on the other hand, went from 250 in 2006 to 300 in 2010 -, DPaschoal is preparing another service that is exclusive and free to the 4.5 thousand customers who have the private label card of the chain. Named "Hora Marcada para Planejar (Scheduled Time to Plan)", the project includes an interactive review of the vehicle, made in 15 minutes, which tells the client when and which parts should be changed or checked. For 2011, it projects earnings of R$ 1.8 billion (US$ 1.1 billion).