The Auto SKUS Group represents brand manufacturers, private-label suppliers, and inventors into the aisles of all major auto specialty outlets. We don't write cold emails to buyers. Rick Stempien has been at the table with them for nearly thirty years; Chris Angell brings 20+ years across brand, retailer (Best Buy), and retail analytics.
We take on a small roster of brands each year. These are the profiles we say yes to.
You've built an automotive consumer good that sells elsewhere — DTC, marketplaces, regional chains — and you're ready for the national retail conversation. We bring the buyer relationships that make that conversation happen.
You manufacture quality automotive product at scale and want a credible path into retailer-brand programs. We rep you into the private-label slots at our target chains — and take on the ODM conversation when it fits.
You've built something the aisle doesn't have — patented, defensible, and shelf-ready. We decide fast whether the planogram will accept it, and if it will, we get you in front of the buyer who owns that set.
We operate as your manufacturer rep — commission-aligned, not retainer-driven. We only win when your SKU sells through.
30 minutes. Your product, your price, your current channels. We tell you on the call whether the planogram will accept it.
We benchmark your SKU against the existing set at our target chains — sub-category share, price ladder, planogram white space.
Commission-based terms. Territory, categories, and chains defined. No retainer, no setup fee.
We take your SKU into the buyer conversation — timed to their category review calendar, framed in their shelf vocabulary.
Line review won. We help with EDI onboarding, DC routing, and ongoing category review support through replenishment.
What we actually sell a brand is access. Everything else — category benchmarking, planogram reads, line-review prep — is table stakes. The relationships are the moat.
Rick has spent nearly 30 years selling automotive consumer goods into the major auto specialty chains for some of the world's largest brand manufacturers — First Brands, Hopkins, Trico, Holley. Chris brings 20+ years across brand, retailer (Best Buy), and retail analytics. The buyers at every major auto specialty outlet don't take our cold emails — they take our calls.
We don't pitch. We bring the same data the buyer was going to ask for — sub-segment share, price ladder, GMROI math, planogram fit — already assembled. Your product arrives pre-qualified.
We take on a limited number of brands each year so every SKU we rep gets attention. Commission-aligned means we only win when your product sells through — not when a PO ships.
For suppliers chasing retailer-brand slots, we run the ODM and private-label conversation directly. Same buyer relationships, different economics — whichever path lands the business.
Honest is faster than polite. If your SKU is one of these, we'll tell you on the fit call — before anyone's wasted a week on it.
Straight answers — same language we use on the call.
The Auto SKUS Group represents brand manufacturers into the aisles of every major auto specialty outlet. The process starts with a 30-minute fit call where we review your product, pricing, and current channels — and tell you on the call whether the planogram will accept it. From there we build a shelf read, establish commission-based rep terms, take your SKU to the buyer conversation, and support the launch and replenishment cycle.
We operate on a commission-aligned rep model. No retainer. No setup fee. No upfront cost. We earn when your SKU sells through. Commission rates vary by category, volume, and retailer, and are agreed in a formal rep agreement before any buyer outreach.
We take on a small roster of brand manufacturers, private-label suppliers, and inventors with patented, shelf-ready SKUs. Stage of company is not a filter — pre-revenue inventors and established brands are both candidates. Product category fit and planogram acceptability are the filters. See Who We Rep for the three profiles we say yes to.
We have direct buyer relationships at every major auto specialty outlet. Rick Stempien has spent nearly 30 years selling automotive consumer goods into the major chains for some of the world's largest brand manufacturers (First Brands, Hopkins, Trico, Holley). Chris Angell brings 20+ years across brand, retailer (Best Buy), and retail analytics. The buyers don't take our cold emails — they take our calls.
Three categories of no-go. First, products priced above the consumer reality of their category — if the aisle lives at $5.99 and the SKU needs $29.99, the buyer will say no. Second, SKUs that don't fit the planogram — odd pack sizes, non-peggable hangers, formats the shelf-set doesn't accept. Third, categories where we don't have a credible buyer relationship.
A manufacturer rep represents your brand to the retail buyer on commission — you keep your brand, your product, and your margin, and the rep earns a percentage when sell-through happens. A distributor buys your product outright and resells it to the retailer, taking margin at purchase. The Auto SKUS Group operates as a rep, which keeps brand control and retail margin with the manufacturer.
Yes. When a private-label supplier or manufacturer wants a path into retailer-brand programs, we run the ODM and private-label conversation directly — same buyer relationships, different economics. Whichever path lands the business.
From fit call to buyer pitch is typically four to eight weeks, depending on the retailer's line-review calendar and how quickly the shelf read and category brief can be assembled. From buyer pitch to shelf can range from three to nine months depending on the retailer, category review cycle, and whether the SKU replaces an existing item or fills white space.
A 30-minute fit call tells us everything we need to know. You'll leave with a plain answer — yes, no, or "fix this first."
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