DEKK Partner Seek to Exploit “Most Important” Season

Managing director of DEKK Partner, the Norwegian retail co-operative that has 300 Nordic-area dealers, Leif Kristiansen recognizes that, for his organisation “the winter market is the most important season for DEKK Partner and all tyre dealers in the Nordic market.”

In this sector, winter tyres have an obvious place, a fact Kristiansen acknowledges when he states that “50 per cent of the turnover per year is in the period from the end of September to the end of December.” This fact of the market means that the company is somewhat dependent on the seasonal weather arriving on time at the beginning of November for the business to meet its financial targets.

Winter tyre test results are also of great importance to the organisation, as many end-users research winter tyres by reading magazine articles, especially before the winter season. For DEKK Partner, the ability to keep abreast of the best performing tyres is vital, because stocks must be planned in accordance with the informed market. The knowledgeability of the co-operative’s customer base means that Dekk Partner must be aware of the most up-to-date information, and that they themselves are able to match the knowledge of visitors to retail outlets.

Kristiansen identifies the major advantage of DEKK Partner’s independence from the tyre manufacturers as being the comparatively easy position from which they can buy and sell the best performing tyres: “You know if your company is owned by Continental, and Nokian is the test-winner, your company cannot sell too much Nokian because of the ownership. This is in fact a part of the success DEKK Partner has in the winter market, because all end-users in the Nordic market know exactly which winter tyres are the best in the market.”

DEKK Partner was formed in 1994 and has since become the largest dealer in the area (Norway, Sweden and Finland). The group has a yearly turnover of 300 million euros, of which winter tyres count for at least half. Winter truck tyres are particularly popular, with many drivers choosing to leave the same tyres on their vehicles until the next winter season. The most popular winter brands across the group – including passenger vehicles – come from Michelin, Nokian and Yokohama.