McGregor brothers remain undaunted in the face of competitive auctions

As far longstanding institutions in the Canadian auto recycling industry go, there are few that can say they hold the same achievements as McGregor’s Auto Parts, out of St. Thomas, Ontario.

Now on its third generation of ownership in brothers Tim and Jeff McGregor and having recently celebrated 60 years of operation in the southern Ontario community of St. Thomas, challenges relating to lockdowns and supply chain disruptions could only slow, but never stop, the momentum building at this family’s yard.

“Inventory is a bit harder to get and you have to pay more these days. Everybody is hungry for inventory, so that jacks the prices up,” said Jeff. With standing still not even a thought on the minds of Jeff and Tim, the team at McGregor’s opted to use the downtime of parts sourcing to invest in some quality-of-life items for the business, including a Freightliner flatbed truck for hauling in vehicles, as well as a front-end loader for stacking and moving them about the yard.

The brothers remain undaunted in the face of increasingly competitive auctions, as with the new year comes new plans to grow the already iconic business.

“We press on to buy as many cars as we can, whether they just come in off the street or through insurance contacts with companies like Progi,” said Jeff.

“We strive to keep our sales up. We’re trying to get into higher-end, later-model wrecks, so high-quality, low-kilometre parts.”