27^th April 2026: GSF Car Parts, the UK’s fastest‑growing motor factor, has hosted a hugely successful two‑day supplier summit at The Derby London City to deepen relationships with key strategic suppliers as it seeks to further grow its UK aftermarket business.

Senior leaders from BM Catalysts, Borg (Lucas), Brembo, Hella, Moove, Phinia (Delphi), Purflux (FRAM), Schaeffler, Trupart and ZF joined GSF’s senior commercial team to share their latest innovations, ideas and insights on navigating a changing market landscape.

Many of the visitors had flown in especially. GSF’s team was led by Executive Chairman Sukhpal Ahluwalia, CEO Steve Horne, Chief Commercial Officer Dev Satpathy and Chief People Officer Martin Gray, plus a host of representatives from across the business including Branch Network, Product, HR and Marketing.

The Derby London City, developed by Dominus and part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, offered a first‑class setting in the heart of London’s financial district, blending contemporary style within a heritage building, and exceptional service was provided throughout.

Sessions explored new growth opportunities for GSF and its supplier partners to support hard‑working independent garages. Plans for upskilling and raising product awareness were discussed as a key part of supporting GSF’s goal of becoming the UK’s number one aftermarket provider.

Before dinner, guests were treated to an impromptu address from former LKQ CEO Rob Wagman. Having flown in with family earlier that day, Martin Gray introduced LKQ “employee number 55”, who rose to become a share‑price‑trebling CEO leading 50,000 employees by the time of his departure.

Rob spoke warmly of first meeting Sukhpal, describing his doubts about flying over to meet “this guy in a different country with a totally different business model” – before closing with one piece of advice: “always take the meeting”.

Steve Horne, CEO at GSF Car Parts, said: “It’s been a really energising couple of days meeting with some of our most important stakeholders. Our thanks go to our supplier partners for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time with our team and challenge us on our assumptions, which is how the most effective partnerships achieve the best performance.

“We work closer to suppliers than any other factor, whether that’s coming together for sessions like this, or celebrating them at our events such as TechFest and internal conferences. There’s still no substitute for face‑to‑face meetings, and the personal relationships we develop together will drive measurable results. Ultimately, we want our people, partners and customers to feel confident they can do themselves proud by working with GSF.

“I’m confident ideas that started as conversations today will be delivering sales for our suppliers and support for our customers very soon.”

Image left to right: Mark Dolloway, MD, Schaeffler; Sukhpal Ahluwalia, Executive Chairman, GSF; Jens Schuler, CEO, Schaeffler; Sascha Lechner, President Europe, Schaeffler; Steve Horne, CEO, GSF; Matthew Selby, Director, Schaeffler; and Dev Satpathy, CCO, GSF