Driven Brands Has ‘Long-Term Optimism’ in Auto Glass Now

In December 2021, Driven Brands stepped into the U.S. auto glass market by acquiring Auto Glass Now, which had 75 locations.

Driven Brands acquired several more regional auto glass companies throughout the U.S. and in early 2023, it rebranded all of them under the Auto Glass Now name.

As of mid-2024, Auto Glass Now has scaled to more than 200 physical stores and more than 700 mobile units in 35 states, with plans to eventually expand into all 50.

Michael Macaluso, executive vice president and group president of Driven Brands’ Paint, Collision & Glass business segment, said Driven Brands has a lot of long-term optimism for the brand.

“We’re excited about the future,” he said in an interview with Autobody News.

Michael Macaluso, EVP and group president of Driven Brands’ Paint, Collision & Glass.

Macaluso said Driven Brands got into auto glass because it complements its collision and paint businesses. The company also already had relationships with several insurance companies after 10 years in the collision repair industry with CARSTAR, Fix Auto and ABRA. It has since added more.

Auto glass is a highly fragmented industry. Through Auto Glass Now, Driven Brands services retail, rental/fleet and insurance customers.

“We aim to take out the fuss of glass services, regardless of whether you’re a retail, insurance or fleet customer,” Macaluso said.

The key is understanding customers’ needs, he said. For instance, retail customers can go online to get an estimate or schedule an appointment, whether they prefer to come to a store or have a mobile unit come to them.

Finally, the auto glass industry is currently dominated by one national company.

“The industry could benefit from some competition,” he said.

Macaluso said Driven Brands took its time and was “very smart about integrating” all the regional glass companies it had acquired under the Auto Glass Now brand, making sure there was one playbook for all stores to follow.

“It’s starting to bear fruit this year,” he said.

Earlier this year, Auto Glass Now rolled out a new marketing campaign, encompassing social media, web, in-store displays and vehicle branding, and emphasizing its key offerings, including same or next day service, convenient appointments, a price match guarantee, choice of in-store or mobile repairs and the acceptance of all insurance.

It is also improving those offerings, with more training for its technicians, more tools and established protocols for ADAS-related cameras and sensors that need to be recalibrated when glass is replaced.

“We are focused on fixing the car properly, meaning calibrations,” Macaluso said. “The message is we fix it faster and better than our competitors.”