Accessories Business and Auto Dealer Join Forces

The owner of a Thousand Oaks car and truck accessories business says he has launched “an unlikely alliance” with an Oxnard auto dealer.

The accessories distributor, Gerry Guhl, has leased space for his firm, Road N Truck, in the Mike Wallace Ford complex. Road N Truck specializes in items used to customize sports cars and pickup trucks.

The deal is unusual because car dealers and independent parts retailers are traditionally fierce competitors for a share of the lucrative automotive after-market.

Both companies are confident that they’ll benefit from the arrangement. “Auto dealers basically sell and service vehicles,” Guhl said. “They sell accessories as well, but it’s a small part of their core business.”

Since his firm sells products whose manufacturers don’t normally supply Ford dealers, Guhl said, “we can offer more options to customize a new pickup, for instance.”

Tom Maronde, Wallace’s general manager, said having the Road N Truck unit in the dealer’s van and truck center should help his sales force close deals because customers will be able to envision what a vehicle will look like with new accessories.

Maronde said he began discussing the arrangement with Guhl in December, when Wallace expanded its dealership to include light trucks, such as sport utility vehicles and pickups.

Guhl, whose main outlet is on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, said he has been anxious to gain a foothold in western Ventura County.