Jun. 10, 2026Marubeni Corporation
Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, “Marubeni”) has agreed to acquire TiAuto Investments Pty Ltd (hereinafter, “TiAuto”), a company that operates a car maintenance business primarily in the Republic of South Africa (hereinafter, “South Africa”). Through this transaction (hereinafter, the “Transaction”), Marubeni will enter the car maintenance business in Africa for the first time.
Marubeni entered the car maintenance business in Thailand in 2006 through the acquisition of B-Quik Co., Ltd (hereinafter, “B-Quik”). B-Quik has established a highly profitable business model (hereinafter, “the B-Quik business model”) that provides value-added services by offering swift, one-stop sales and replacement of tires, oil, batteries, and other items, while handling a wide range of products from multiple brands. Since the acquisition, the number of B-Quik stores has expanded from 44 to 241*. Marubeni has also expanded its car maintenance business to Indonesia and Mexico, where store openings have progressed steadily, reaching 43 stores and 94 stores*, respectively.
In seeking further expansion of this business, Marubeni has continued to study regions where automobile-related markets—including new car sales, vehicle ownership, and replacement tire sales—are growing. Focusing on the accelerating motorization of Africa, Marubeni has been examining strategic investment opportunities in the region for several years. South Africa, the largest automobile market in Africa, and its car maintenance market has been growing at a robust annual rate of approximately 6%. Marubeni thus determined that South Africa is an optimal market to deploy the B-Quik business model and thus decided to acquire TiAuto. With the acquisition of TiAuto as a consolidated subsidiary, the total number of stores under Marubeni’s car maintenance business will increase to approximately 540*.
TiAuto was established in 1967 and currently operates 161 stores* across five countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. While many competitors operate mainly under a franchise model, TiAuto focuses on directly managed stores, enabling the company to provide high-quality and uniform maintenance services and to achieve industry-leading sales per store in the South African market. By providing wheel repair services that competitors do not offer, and by implementing a multi-brand strategy that covers a variety of product brands and price ranges, TiAuto has succeeded in building a loyal customer base.
By combining TiAuto’s strengths with Marubeni’s expertise and experience developed through the B-Quik model, Marubeni will work to enhance marketing and promotional initiatives to increase brand awareness and customer traffic, as well as improve services in line with customer needs to boost profitability. Through these initiatives, Marubeni aims to further enhance profitability and added value, while expanding its network of stores.
Under its Mid-Term Management Strategy “GC2027,” Marubeni is focusing on strategic platform businesses that offer “Growth Potential × High Added Value × Scalability.” This Transaction is intended to leverage Marubeni’s expertise and track record to provide high value-added car maintenance services in the growing African automobile market. Going forward, Marubeni will pursue further expansion into other countries, including throughout Africa, to improve convenience in automobile markets and explore opportunities in adjacent business fields, thereby continuing to expand its global car maintenance business.
*Number of stores as of May 2026
