Spare parts distribution is one of those businesses that, often without much fanfare, proves extraordinarily profitable when operated with scale and discipline. Demand is stable, recurring, and predictable, while the business model remains asset-light and efficient in terms of working capital. In the United States, companies like AutoZone and O’Reilly have turned this formula into a decades-long driver of value creation. In Europe, however, the competitive landscape is far more fragmented—and this is precisely where Auto Partner has found its opportunity.

Founded in 1993 in southern Poland, the company has grown from a small regional distributor into one of the fastest-growing players in the sector. Its model relies on a network of more than 110 branches, automated logistics centers, and a proprietary digital platform managing a catalog of over 250,000 references. Unlike other operators that combine retail and professional channels, Auto Partner focuses exclusively on servicing workshops, allowing it to design its infrastructure entirely around rapid delivery and immediate availability.

The evolution of the Polish market has played to its advantage: an aging vehicle fleet, high motorization rates, low penetration of electric vehicles, and a highly fragmented network of independent workshops with limited negotiating power that depend heavily on efficient distributors. In this environment, Auto Partner has expanded organically and methodically, strengthening its position through scale, route density, exclusive supplier agreements, and the development of its proprietary brand, MaXgear, which already represents a significant share of revenue.

The aspect that best illustrates Auto Partner’s ambition—and simultaneously raises the most questions about the sustainability of its model—is not its domestic market, but rather its international expansion. Today, half of its revenue comes from outside Poland, through direct exports to more than 30 European countries, without relying on local warehouses or distribution points. This strategy has worked well so far, capitalizing on service gaps in fragmented markets, and executing at a level well above the norm. The key question, however, is whether this approach can continue to succeed in a market that is clearly moving toward consolidation.

In this post, I dive deep into the key factors that have enabled Auto Partner to consolidate its position in Poland and scale rapidly across international markets. I also explore the uncertainties that emerge when a model built on logistical efficiency, cost arbitrage, and market fragmentation begins to operate in more mature and competitive environments. To what extent can a model without local infrastructure remain viable in a sector where immediacy of service is paramount? How might returns on invested capital evolve if cost advantages fade and competitors start to replicate its operating model? And how will the transition toward electric vehicles affect a business whose strength partly depends on mechanical wear and tear? These are relevant questions that must be examined in depth to understand not only Auto Partner’s potential, but also the structural constraints that could shape its future.