North Hants Tyres: Specialist Niche Sees Little Change

Classic car tyre provider, North Hants Tyres says that the past year has yielded a rise in classic radial sizes such as 125×15, 145×15 and 165×15 as the major manufacturers ceased their production. The small niche market for specialist tyres has, according to the company, seen little fluctuation and, in spite of undoubtedly difficult market conditions, there has been an increase in sales over the past year.

The ability to hold significant amounts of stock has been the major factor in this increase, since North Hants has been able to remain relatively free of supply difficulties experienced by smaller stockists.

As a specialist tyre wholesaler, North Hants says that it relies heavily on the private brands to service the tyre sizes that major manufacturers have ceased manufacturing because of production and volume requirements. “This year alone we have added over 40 antique/classic and American sizes to fit this sector of the market; private brand manufacturers account for 60% of our purchases,” the company states.

The new US tariff imposed on Chinese tyres has had a very minor impact on the company, since it sources most of its tyres from US suppliers. The one USA Chinese supplier it has “ships directly to the company, so it has lowered pricing to us recently,” states North Hants.

In terms of delivery, the small size of the market means that using next day carriers is the best option for the company. It says that it has “no need for additional branches or warehousing.  In fact, it makes life easier having all our stock under one roof.”