Jobbers and parts distributors are facing a fresh round of operational and economic realities in their stores. The Annual Jobber Survey explores what’s driving all of it and how they see business moving forward with their ASP partners
Parts distributors across Canada are under pressure. Rising costs, supply chain issues and a shortage of skilled staff are all making the job harder at the counter. At the same time, repair shops are voicing frustration — especially around inconsistent part quality and the ongoing challenge of finding technicians.
But behind the counter, jobbers note that the situation is more complicated. The 2026 Annual Jobber Survey shows a disconnect between what shops say they want and what they actually buy. While many shops say they are focused on quality, distributors report that customers often choose lower-priced options when it comes time to place the order.
That gap is shaping daily operations. Jobbers say most of their sales still come from mid-range and premium products. Even so, half of respondents say the most common mistake shops make is buying cheap parts. Dealers and suppliers are working to manage inventory, control costs and keep shelves stocked.
In the distribution warehouse, jobbers are dealing with ongoing efforts to manage rising overhead costs, unpredictable supply chains and a rising deficit of knowledgeable personnel. Jobbers find themselves acting as a buffer between global manufacturing instabilities and local repair bays, absorbing the friction of delayed shipments and escalating costs while working to preserve counter relationships.
The 2026 data reflect a distribution network that is working harder than ever to maintain service standards under severe operational strain. Rather than a simple matter of taking orders and dispatching drivers, modern parts distribution has evolved into a high-stakes balancing act where inventory depth, logistical accuracy, and counter expertise must be maintained despite mounting external pressures.
As economic indicators weaken across Canada, the data show an industry grappling with structural changes.
Price vs. quality
The structural disconnect between shop expectations and counter transactions is most easily seen in the breakdown of what is actually being bought versus what jobbers identify as the industry’s biggest pitfall.
According to the survey, half of parts distributors state that the single most common mistake made by their repair shop customers is the tendency to buy cheap parts. This marks a substantial increase from 2025, when 33 per cent of jobbers flagged cheap purchasing as the top mistake.
“Most shops seem to be in a race to the bottom, pricing-wise,” one respondent noted when asked why service centers fall into this pattern.
In many cases, these purchasing errors are driven by close-knit community dynamics rather than corporate greed, as another explained.
“Because we are in a small town, everybody knows somebody and they are afraid to charge too much to their ‘friend.’”
Yet, a look at actual sales volume reveals that independent repair shops have not entirely abandoned high-grade product lines. Mid-range components, classified as “The Better,” make up the largest share of the market at 50 per cent of total sales, though this represents a decline from the 67 per cent market share recorded in 2025.
Conversely, premium components, categorized as “The Best,” experienced a notable surge, climbing to 25 per cent of sales in 2026 compared to just 11 per cent a year ago. The basic tier, known as “The Good,” climbed from zero per cent in 2025 to 12.5 per cent this year, tying directly with private label or house brands at 12.5 per cent.
Distributors themselves acknowledge that navigating these product tiers is made more difficult by inconsistent manufacturing standards across the global supply chain. Even when shops pay for premium lines, the quality is no longer guaranteed, leading to widespread frustration at the counter.
“Lack of quality parts is, unfortunately, gaining momentum. Even ‘name brand’ parts are having issues,” one respondent observed when given the opportunity to comment in the survey.
Another attributed this volatility to shifts in original component manufacturing locations. This structural instability has created an environment of erratic manufacturing quality, one respondent said, leading to counter staff spending more time handling defect claims and warranty returns rather than generating new sales.
The pressures
While purchasing dynamics can create daily friction, parts distributors are also confronting bigger challenges threatening their core business models. When asked to point out the single biggest challenge encountered over the past year, 50 per cent of surveyed jobbers pointed directly to staffing shortages.
That’s a huge jump from 2025 when staffing was cited by only 22 per cent of respondents, lagging well behind parts availability and pricing pressures. This possibly points to the fact that the deficit of skilled, knowledgeable personnel is no longer exclusive to the service bays; it has deeply impacted the distribution tier as well. Distributors are finding it increasingly difficult to find counter people who possess both technical competence and retail aptitude.
“Staff is the bestest challenge,” one respondent said, while another pointed to the difficulties of “Finding quality knowledgeable staff that want to work in a retail environment.”
These internal staffing issues are closely tied to current operational pressures like cash flow constraints, which 25 per cent of jobbers identify as an immediate threat to business health. Financial liquidity is being strained from multiple angles, including slow payments from larger accounts.
“Big companies (organizations) are delaying paying,” a respondent pointed out.
At the same time, internal investment is needed quickly to boost the capabilities of the existing workforce. Respondents noted that the necessity of “Getting the training my staff needs” because “If our staff were trained better we could sell more parts and/or upsell to better quality parts easier.”
Looking ahead, distributors expect global volatility to remain a defining feature of their businesses. With 50 per cent of jobbers stating that tariffs, economic policy and geopolitical instability will have the most significant impact on their businesses in the coming years, that’s a big jump from the 22 per cent who felt that way in 2025.
General parts pricing concerns follow at 38 per cent, while supply chain availability sits at 12 per cent.
Distributors noted that as international trade policies shift, the cost of sourcing components will inevitably rise, trickling down to an already vulnerable domestic market.
“As the economy weakens, customers will look more closely for the economical option which lessens cash flow and generally causes more issues with warranties, complaints, returns, etc.,” one respondent said.
And another noted the direct impact of trade barriers, saying that tariffs are resulting in it taking a long time to get parts.”
The partnership
The foundational partnership between part distributors and service and repair shops is shifting.
When asked to name the single most critical aspect of the jobber-shop partnership, the 2026 data show a clean, even split: Exactly half of respondents chose the traditional strength of the relationship, while the remaining 50 per cent chose physical inventory availability.
That’s a significant reorganization of priorities from 2025. Back then, relationships stood at 44 per cent, price and discount was 33 per cent and availability sat at just 11 per cent.
When able to choose other important factors, availability and inventory was by far at the top, with 88 per cent of all respondents. So while the business relationship is highly valued, respondents are saying it functions as a secondary support system; it cannot save a sale if the distributor lacks immediate access to stock.
Distributors understand that visibility is essential to keeping an account from calling a competitor.
“We are constantly in contact to our customers through visits by our outside sales staff and quickly solving any issues that pop up,” one respondent explained as to how field presence and operational transparency are important.
“We also pride ourselves in having very good inventory — can’t sell it if you don’t have it,” another said.
And it comes down to a blend of logistics, service and fair pricing, one noted.
“Fast delivery, accurate look ups, friendly staff and good pricing across the board,” they said.
Expectations friction
Delivery times can be a point of contention between distributors and service centers. But jobbers for the most part appeared to give an honest assessment of their capabilities.
Half of all those surveyed rate their ability to deliver components within a satisfactory timeframe as “very good,” while 37.5 per cent describe their performance as “OK”, and only 12.5 per cent rate themselves as “Excellent.”
Distributors feel that many shops do not fully appreciate the complex logistics required to execute delivery runs. Traffic congestion driven by rapid urban growth is an escalating issue, one respondent noted. Another issue raised by another is the number of components a jobber has to carry, making it difficult to quickly grab what’s needed and get out the door.
A respondent noted that they’re implementing data-sharing initiatives to establish realistic service agreements, a level of transparency that helps humanize the counter staff.
“We surveyed all of our delivery customers and agreed upon an expected time for delivery, which we track electronically and share results if needed,” they said. “We are not perfect, and neither are our customers, so we do make mistakes (wrong quantity, wrong part, even wrong place sometimes!) but try to keep to a minimum and correct as quickly as possible.”
But there is still frustration regarding the lack of customer empathy for the steps required to process an order.
“I still believe our customers think we are standing around waiting for their phone call and can’t understand why it takes time to print the invoice, pick the parts (which may be hard to find because of various reasons), muster up a driver who is already heading to three other places to be efficient, and deal with traffic to get to their door,” one respondent said.
Another emphasized that their business model depends on treating accounts fairly. “We have many important customers that we cherish and try to treat equally, not just one,” they said.
Digital ordering channels have provided some relief. Jobbers express high satisfaction with the growth of online ordering, noting that it directly optimizes internal resource allocation.
“Our retail volume has increased dramatically,” one explained. “Utilizing online ordering frees up staff to answer the phone.”
It helps cut down on mistakes and delays, another said.
Online ordering “has been a constant increase in the last five years or so and works much better for the stores and customers as there is far less chance of making a mistake when writing it down at the store and also quicker because there is less chance of order getting delayed due to interruptions, other customers, etc.,” they said.
Training
This year’s survey did highlight a positive trend regarding shop management and technical training engagement. More than six in 10 (62.5 per cent) of parts distributors state that they can reliably count on their top-tier shop customers to attend organized educational events and management seminars. This marks a massive improvement from 2025, when only 45 per cent of jobbers reported consistent attendance from their core client base.
Furthermore, the percentage of shops that promise to attend but fail to show up plummeted from 33 per cent down to just 12.5 per cent.
Physical distance and scheduling conflicts remain real challenges, particularly outside major urban centers.
“Tough in a rural town when we are far away from big cities where you can draw on more participants,” one respondent observed.
Moving training to digital platforms more often would help.
“Online courses is the way to go. Techs can view the course on their schedule.”
This article originally appeared in the June issue of CARS magazine.
