The Mufflerman sold to private equity firm

London-based The Mufflerman Inc. has been purchased by Toronto’s Argyle Capital Partners

Photo: The Mufflerman  location at 1407 Dundas Street East

AFTER MORE THAN 50 years in the auto-repair business, the Brouwer family has sold The Mufflerman, a chain of auto repair shops in Southwestern Ontario.

Headquartered on White Oak Road and operating 12 corporate-owned locations in Southwestern Ontario (including three in London), the business has been sold to Argyle Capital Partners, a Toronto-based private equity firm that, according to its website, “traditionally focuses on old economy, industrial products businesses within service, manufacturing and distribution.”

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Started by John Brouwer Sr. in 1964, The Mufflerman had grown beyond its initial focus on mufflers and had evolved into a more complete auto repair shop. Since 1996, the business has been run by Brouwer’s four sons (Brouwer Sr. died in 2017).

“Finding the right partners to take over our family business was of critical importance to us,” says John Brouwer Jr., outgoing president of The Mufflerman. “We look forward to working with Argyle and carrying on the traditions that have made us successful. Our employees and customers are the focus of what we do every day, and we know that will remain.”

“From our first meeting with the Brouwer Family we knew that the commitment to providing only the best service to customers was the cornerstone of The Mufflerman way,” adds Glenn Gatcliffe, partner at Argyle. “The strong cash flow generation, recession resilience and favourable macro trends present an opportunity for continued and sustainable growth.”

The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

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The role of president will be taken over by Costa Haitas, a former finance and business development manager for Carquest Auto Parts.

“I am honoured to partner with the Argyle team in the acquisition of a truly iconic Southwestern Ontario business,” says Haitas. “We look forward to continuing the proud tradition of excellence in quality, service and trust that has served the Brouwer family and The Mufflerman customers for over 57 years. I am excited about working with the dedicated employees and store managers, many of whom have over 30 years of experience and dedication to their positions.” Kieran Delamont