MEKO has taken significant steps in recent years with growth, efficiency improvements, and strategic acquisitions. So, what’s in store for 2025? According to MEKO’s President and CEO, Pehr Oscarson, it will be an exciting year filled with milestones to achieve – and an even greater focus on collaborating with key partners.
"The pace will be intense yet controlled. Several important, future-oriented projects at MEKO are taking shape simultaneously, and I am very much looking forward to it," says Pehr Oscarson.
The momentum at MEKO will remain strong – a pattern that has become familiar in recent years. As recently as 2018, MEKO was primarily active in Sweden and Norway. Since then, the company has expanded significantly with acquisitions in Denmark, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Today, MEKO is the market leader in Northern Europe, aiming to be the best partner for everyone who drives, maintains, or repairs cars. Many are familiar with some of MEKO’s locally renowned wholesale and workshop brands in these markets, such as Mekonomen, Meca, BilXtra, FTZ, Automester, Fixus, Inter-Team, and many more.
In 2024, another acquisition was made – Elit Polska became part of MEKO, which consequently rose to the third position in the Polish market. This occurred as MEKO accelerated its efforts to increase profitability through its “Building a Stronger MEKO” initiative.
"2024 was the year we seriously began working on Building a Stronger MEKO, and we have seen clear results. We’ve observed gradual improvements in our adjusted operating margin, showing we are on the right track and have the right strategy," says Oscarson.
He emphasizes that improved profitability isn’t achieved through just one approach. MEKO works broadly, focusing on optimizations, efficiency improvements, investments, and refining product categories.
"An example of optimization in 2024 was the restructuring of the Norwegian distribution network through branch mergers," Oscarson explains.
"This simultaneously led to lower costs, fewer transports, and better availability for customers. Another example of investments is the decision to focus on new central warehouses with automated solutions for faster merchandise handling in Norway, Denmark, and Finland."
All central warehouse projects within MEKO are scheduled for completion in 2025, representing a significant change across several key markets. This transformation will streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
Part of the work to build a stronger company also involves adjustments in purchasing. MEKO is the largest independent spare parts distributor in Northern Europe and makes substantial purchases annually across tens of thousands of articles. According to Oscarson, there’s untapped potential here.
"One focus area for us in 2025 will be to create closer collaboration with fewer but carefully selected suppliers. With them, we aim to work together more extensively than we do today to make both them and us bigger winners," he says.
In other words, it’s about collaborating to create value. MEKO also prioritizes internal collaboration as a result of its acquisition strategy. In concrete terms, this means acquiring companies with strong local businesses – while simultaneously working across borders to create synergies that others find hard to achieve. This can involve anything from coordinated purchasing to leveraging joint product development.
"We will focus on joining forces more closely with our partners and internally to achieve more. And we will. There’s still more to do – and more to gain. It’s going to be an exciting year with milestones to achieve," says Pehr Oscarson.
Joakim Wickholm has built his career on extensive experience in corporate groups and a passion for using IT as a driving force for business development. He thrives in change-driven environments and with colleagues from all parts of the world. ”We aim high, move fast, and continuously evolve—there’s never a dull moment”, he says.
With a strong focus on commercial vehicle workshops – MEKO’s most important customer group today – the company is now launching a dedicated division to accelerate growth in a market full of potential. MEKO is taking a major step into the commercial vehicle sector with the launch of a powerful new division. The initiative is led by Nils Hollmann, who brings over 15 years of industry experience.“We’re now increasing our pace in a fragmented market, but one that is also full of opportunity – both for MEKO and everyone who owns, operates, repairs or maintain commercial vehicles,” says Hollmann.
Tires are one of the most critical factors for safety, comfort, and performance in a vehicle. With the right tires, car owners can both improve driving comfort and enhance road safety. Tires are also a strategically important product with significant growth opportunities and potential for upselling. This is why MEKO invests heavily in tires, including a multi-year agreement with Goodyear, one of the world's largest and most renowned tire manufacturers.