The Michelin name has become an important reference for lovers of good food and the award of a Michelin star is the ultimate accolade for any restaurant.

Now the company has launched a scheme that aims to raise the bar when it comes to tyre retailing, with the establishment of Michelin Accredited Centres. In an effort to dispel the public’s image of poor facilities and poor service in the tyre trade, Michelin has come up with a set of performance standards for tyre shops and, to achieve recognition, Michelin Accredited Centres have to be independently assessed to meet these criteria.

Approved centres will display a distinctive signage and it is hoped that this will come to be recognised by the public as assurance that their purchase enquiries will be dealt with professionally. According to Michelin, “substantial investment” has been made by both Michelin and the retailers in order to create a clear level of integrity and trust – the key complaints in many automotive customer surveys.

What are these criteria? To be honest, it is not rocket science, as centres have to provide professional customer relations, clean and comfortable premises and guaranteed prices and workmanship. The customer can be confident that he will be served by staff who have a thorough product knowledge, there will be published pricing information and also ample parking and service facilities.

Backing the scheme is Michelin’s reputation, in the same way that the Michelin Guide has done for diners and hotel visitors for over a century.

Rising expectations

Jonathan Brett, Programme Development Manager for Michelin UK, said: “Customer expectations of service are rising. A visit to a Michelin Accredited Centre will now be a more rewarding experience with better trained staff, improved customer facilities and a thoroughly professional service.

“We have especially recognised that these outlets need to be more female-friendly as women are a major buying group representing 40 per cent of the UK market – the highest in Europe. Our mystery shopping will ensure these high standards are maintained as the network grows. For the dealer, higher standards mean more customers and more repeat sales. It all makes very good, modern business practice.”

Among the first locations awarded Michelin Accredited Centre status is Merityre, Westway, Andover in Hampshire.