IT&T Signs Exclusive Firenza Truck Tyre Deal

Oldbury-based tyre wholesaler International Tyres & Trading Ltd. (IT&T) has recently been appointed the sole UK and Ireland distributor for Firenza truck tyres; a brand new to the market.

IT&T was founded in 1991 by directors Mike Bolton and Paul Jackson. Both men had considerable experience of the tyre industry – Bolton in retreading and Jackson in wholesaling – and they set up IT&T to supply retailers, rather than end users, with tyres. From Day 1 the business concentrated on truck tyres and built up a reputation as a supplier of premium, leading brand names. “We were not known as a budget brand provider” said Mr. Bolton. Even today, truck tyres account for around 90 per cent of the company’s business but in the past couple of months, IT&T has taken a different direction by taking on the Firenza franchise.

So what makes Firenza special? The sales literature describes the product as “a premium quality truck tyre with a budget price” and, says Mike Bolton, this is its appeal in a nutshell.

The brand is owned by Singapore-based Stamford Tyres and the tyres are made for them in China. In the past, some tyres from China have been found to have under-sized casings, which can cause problems, not least to retreaders, but this is not a problem with Firenza, said Mr Bolton, adding that the tyre was fully retreadable, carries DOT and E-marks and comes in the latest load and speed indices. Although Firenza is made in China, the design and technology comes from Japan, he added.

Apparently it took IT&T very little time to make up their minds to take on Firenza – the company has had a close relationship with Stamford Tyres for a number of years and the Singapore company sent two personnel over to discuss the product and the possibility of taking on the dealership. To say that it was love at first sight would be an exaggeration, but Mike Bolton admits that he was “very favourably impressed” by the design and appearance of the tyre. To cut a long story short, IT&T agreed to take some tyres and see what the reaction of the market was.

The next step was to put the tyres out to certain key accounts, on a sale or return basis, to see how they performed in the field. “We sent out around 50 sets and we haven’t had a set back yet – all the responses have been extremely favourable” said a delighted Mike Bolton.

The range

At the moment, the Firenza range is limited, although the popular sizes are catered for. The SSDO8 is a radial drive axle tyre, with a high abrasion resistant compound and a solid shoulder construction with a steel band ply protecting against irregular shoulder wear and a deep tread pattern (18mm-21mm).

The SSRO5 is a radial steer axle/trailer tyre with a wide tread and flat profile for mileage and handling stability. The tread design resists stone trapping, thus minimising casing damage.

At the moment, both tyres are available in the following four sizes: 11R22.5, 12R22.5, 295/80 R22.5 and 315/80 R22.5, although many more are planned. A 385/65 R22.5 super single will be on the market later this year and there will be low platform tyres as well as smaller truck sizes, such as 215/75 R17.5 and 235/75 R17.5. Other popular sizes available shortly are 315/70 R22.5 and 275/70 R22.5.

Whereabouts does Firenza fit into the market? Mike Bolton puts it at the top of the budget sector, making the point that it is not the cheapest on the market, but significantly cheaper than a premium brand. With its multiple life capability, the tyre offers exceptional PPK performance, he says.

It is early days yet, but how are the tyres being received? “It’s taking off as we expected,” said Bolton, adding that the initial commitment was for a comparatively small amount of tyres. Having said that, he revealed that IT&T had ordered 12 containers during the past two months.

With such a long supply chain (orders are usually made 8-12 weeks ahead), it is imperative that IT&T holds sufficient stock to supply customers quickly, if required. The company uses its experience to predict what will be needed in the future, but holds over 1,000 of the tyres in stock, with the potential to expand storage capacity if and when required.

Long-term aim

At the moment, the priority for IT&T is establishing the brand and letting its existing customers get the tyres out to as many end users as possible. As such, the marketing activity so far has been minimal, but will increase; particularly when the new sizes are available.

The long-term objective, when the brand becomes better established, is to market Firenza to the end user and hopefully generate demand from the market. Eventually, Mr. Bolton would like to see a UK network of distributors, each with their own areas for Firenza tyres. By maintaining a level of exclusivity, he believes that price-cutting competition, as happens when a brand is widely available from different outlets, will be kept to a minimum. If the prices can be kept at a sensible level, then the dealers will be able to make a good margin on the brand.

Taking on Firenza was a significant step for IT&T – although it supplies tyres nationally, the company employs only 10 people and (some might say luckily, with transport costs rising sharply nowadays) only has a small fleet for local deliveries. Carriers are used for long distance journeys, with the norm being a three-day delivery, although a guaranteed next-day service is offered for a minimum of eight tyres.

The Firenza deal is the first of its kind that IT&T has taken on – or even seriously considered – in its 14 year history, so what has changed – what’s makes this deal special? The answer, says Mike Bolton, is easy – it’s the appearance and performance of the tyre that clinched the deal. So how does he see the future?
“I’m very, very confident,” he replied, adding: “I look at the product and I just can’t help smiling.”