Bridgestone Australia Finalises Purchase of Jobson’s Outlets

Following the signing of an agreement on January 5, Bridgestone Australia will be working more closely with Sydney based retail tyre network Jobson’s Discount Tyre and Mechanical. The agreement finalises Bridgestone’s purchase of JLK Holdings, which owns and operates seven Bridgestone Tyre Centre outlets across the metropolitan Sydney region.

Phil Jobson, co-owner and founder of Jobson’s Discount Tyre and Mechanical, said the agreement represented “an exciting new phase” for both businesses. “We have been planning a move such as this for a number of years, so I am delighted to be joining forces with Bridgestone as it allows me to stay very much at the helm of the business while also ensuring its long-term future,” he said.

“I’m also looking forward to working even more closely with Bridgestone. There’s an enormous amount of market-leading intelligence in both organisations that we’re now really going to be able to utilise for our mutual benefit.”

All seven Jobson’s stores – which are located in Parramatta, Hornsby, Artamon, Campsie, Hurstville, Kingsford and Taren Point – will be progressively converted to Bridgestone’s Bridgestone Select retail format under Phil Jobson’s guidance. However, Bridgestone’s Group chairman and managing director, Shawn Hara, said little else would change for Jobson’s suppliers, customers and employees.

“Naturally, we are delighted that we’re going to be extending our Bridgestone Select network in such an important market,” Hara said. “However, what we’re really excited about is the business acumen and marketing know-how that we’re now going to be able to integrate into our wider operations.

“Phil and his team have built up a dominant business with a fantastic reputation based on the skills of its people. We know we can learn from each other and we’re looking forward to making the most of our new relationship,” he added. Hara also said that JLK Holdings would continue to operate the seven Jobson’s stores under a new management committee, which would include Phil Jobson, key Jobson’s management personnel and Bridgestone management executives.