Kwik-Fit hires UK chief

Kwik-Fit, the car repair chain, has appointed Steve Wallis as its UK marketing director.

Wallis joins from the marketing department of Black & Decker and will be in charge of the company’s 650 car repair centres. He will be based in Edinburgh.

He replaces Colin McNeill, who has been given a brief to develop e-commerce for the company. A spokesman says that there are no plans for a review of Kwik-Fit’s advertising.

He adds: “We’re glad to have Steve on board, he’s got a great track record.”

Wallis will report to group marketing director Peter Holmes.

During the past year, the company has concentrated on “relationship marketing and the application of best practice” in the company’s European outlets in an effort to establish marketing consistency.

Kwik-Fit operates under its own brand name in the UK, Ireland and Holland. It owns Speedy in France and Spain, and Pitstop in Germany. In Belgium it operates under the Kwik-Fit and Speedy brands.

The company says there are no plans to rebrand the entire businesses under the Kwik-Fit name, but the company is planning to double the number of outlets to 4,500 by 2005. Ford is backing Kwik-Fit’s expansion, following the acquisition of the company for £1bn two years ago.

The company’s £11m advertising account is held by Faulds.