Countdown to Brityrex 2010

With Brityrex International 2010 now less than a year away Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com introduces the first in a regular monthly series of exhibitor profiles. As part of our role as media sponsor, this new feature marks the beginning of our coverage in preparation for next October’s show. With industry observers suggesting things are looking up for the tyre business since the phrase “green shoots” was first mentioned a few month’s ago, many inside the industry are looking forward to a future bounce in the market.

In light of this one company, which has remained loyal to a dedicated UK tyre exhibition is Kings Road Tyres (KRT). Over the past 37 years Kings Road Tyres has developed into one of the UK’s leading national wholesalers, offering the trade an inventory covering the entire spectrum of product.

The company has always recognised the benefit of trade exhibitions and events and was one of the original supporters of the first UK tyre exhibition held at Earls Court, London in the late 1970s. Since then, KRT has been a regular and committed backer of dedicated tyre exhibitions in the UK and overseas.

Group managing director Peter Gaster explains why: “We place great importance in building personal relationships with our customers and the best way of doing that is by meeting them in person and understanding their needs. It’s never been easier to communicate efficiently with advances in business technology, but there is still no substitute for face-to-face contact. That’s why our sales staff from around the UK and Ireland will be involved throughout the exhibition, giving them and our customers a chance to meet.”

Looking back to the last Brityrex in 2007, Gaster says KRT enjoyed a very successful show: “In particular, 2007 proved that the visitors who attended Brityrex were all professionals who were there to do business. It’s sometimes difficult to quantify what you actually gain in sales terms from an exhibition, but we certainly achieved very buoyant sales during the show as well as follow up business from contacts we made during the event.”

And he is equally enthusiastic about the prospects for Manchester in 2010. “I believe the show will come back stronger next year as the trade emerges from recession and looks to meet new customers and source new products. It’s important that as an industry we recognise that Brityrex is our show and it’s up to us as the main players in the industry to get behind it and make it work hard to deliver results that will benefit individual businesses and the trade at large.”