Here we stand in the grip of the toughest recession in modern history, and on the one hand, we’re being assured that the worst of the financial part of the downturn is over. Sadly we’re assured that unemployment is far from its peak, and in the UK is expected to grow from the already historic high of 2.2 million, right up to 3 million.

In the current climate vehicle owners are significantly reducing the mileage they do in their vehicles, as a result they demand less and less servicing and wear parts, and as the recession continues to take effect, especially when unemployment adds to it, there will be many drivers giving up their cars altogether.

So, if you’re a car parts retailer, which items should you stocking in order to protect your profits, and so neutralise the negative effect of the recession on your income?

Well, universal wear-parts and consumables are always good sellers, and as the recession deepens, more and more owners change over to carrying out their own more straightforward maintenance tasks. That means that bulbs are an excellent item to stock. There aren’t too many different SKUs to fit the entire range of vehicles on the market. Wiper Blades are the same. Not too many sizes cover the whole market, they’re easy to change, and often need replacing. It’s a similar story with parts such as Oil and Air Filters, Spark Plugs etc., as drivers start to do their own simple repairs.

As a retailer, you’ll also see that sales of car care products such as quality car shampoo and Car Wax will improve as drivers switch away from using car washes as they try to cut expenditure, and take steps to better maintain the condition and value of their vehicle.

Other items to stock in a recession are upgrade or aspirational items like in-car entertainment and Sat Nav Systems, as well as items for customising your vehicle, like sports steering wheels, seats etc. These items cover a wide range of prices with the cheapest items beginning at less than ten pounds, being things like Gear Stick Knobs, performance Car Wipers or even retrofit Flat Wipers. At the top of this range of products people will spend thousands on a customised interior, sports suspension, performance brakes etc , etc.

The contradictory thing about a recession is that sales of this type of product will hold up, or even increase. That’s because those people who are still in work often find that they have more disposable income. Interest rates tumble, reducing their mortgage payments, and many commodity prices also fall. Nevertheless, because of worries about their job security, these same people are unwilling to commit to major capital spending such as buying a new car. They therefore end up keeping their car longer, and so they begin to indulge themselves by spending their increasing disposable income on upgrading, updating or personalising their car.