27^th February 2026: GSF Executive Chairman Sukhpal Ahluwalia has been awarded the Achievement Award at the 2026 CAT Awards, recognising his long-standing contribution to the UK aftermarket sector.

The award, presented by CAT Magazine at its annual awards ceremony in Manchester, recognises individuals who have made a sustained and meaningful impact on the aftermarket industry through distribution, supply chain leadership, and support for independent garages.

Today, Sukhpal’s impact on the sector continues through his role as Executive Chairman of GSF Car Parts, where he is overseeing a new phase of investment and expansion.

Over more than five decades, Sukhpal has helped reshape the UK aftermarket. Having arrived in the UK as a refugee at just 13 years old, he is best known for founding Euro Car Parts, which he built from a single store into a business with a network of over 200 branches before its sale in 2011. Throughout his career, he has consistently invested in infrastructure, apprenticeship and education programmes, and national coverage to strengthen the aftermarket sector.

In 2023, Sukhpal returned to the sector through the acquisition of GSF Car Parts with private equity firm Epiris. Since then, and under the wider leadership of the veteran management team, GSF has invested more than £125 million into the business, including in the opening of a new National Distribution Centre in Wolverhampton, creating 1000 new jobs, and delivering significant improvements in fleet capability, stock variability, and branch expansion.

In the last year, GSF has delivered more than 20% year-on-year growth in what has otherwise been a largely flat market, while mapping out more than 20 new branch openings for 2026.

GSF’s focus remains on improving availability, quicker delivery times, and providing genuine choice for independent garages.

Sukhpal Ahluwalia, Executive Chairman of GSF Car Parts, said: “I am enormously proud to receive this recognition from CAT Magazine. The aftermarket is built through hardworking, entrepreneurial people, from distributors to independent garages, and any success I’ve had has been because of the outstanding colleagues and teams throughout the years.

“I’m incredibly proud of the aftermarket sector, and I remain extremely optimistic about the future of the sector. The businesses that will thrive are those prepared to invest properly, strengthen their infrastructure, and support garages with real service and reliability.

“The opportunity to acquire GSF and awaken a true sleeping giant was too good to turn down. Over the past two years, we’ve invested heavily in building a stronger, faster, and more competitive business, and there is much more still to come.”

Steve Horne, CEO of GSF Car Parts, said: “Sukhpal’s impact on the aftermarket is hard to overstate. His experience, long-term thinking, and willingness to invest have already transformed GSF, and this award is richly deserved. We are building real momentum as a business, and his leadership continues to shape the direction of the business as we look to the years ahead.”