“No dull moment” in international wholesaling: S&H Tyres

Netherlands tyre wholesaler S&H Tyres was founded in 2002 by Simon Klapwijk and Henk van Dijk, who opened the tyre wholesale company in “a little village under the smoke of Rotterdam,” in S and H’s own words. Rotterdam’s status as one of the biggest container ports in the world is not insignificant; S&H has a logistics centre 20 minutes away from the port. It is this kind of proximity that gives S&H an advantage in moving with international tyre-buying trends, the company believes.

Klapwijk and van Dijk see a tyre trade in a tumultuous situation, with “many things happening” in the world affecting it, like “the price increases on raw materials, labour and the constantly fluctuating transport costs all over the world”. They say: “these and many other subjects are making the tyre trade very exciting and we don’t have any dull moments. During and outside our working hours, our business is always on the move.

“Some examples for being always on the move are: the opening of an S&H tyre wholesale company last year in Slovakia; the fabulous start (after we purchased all the shares) of a web-shop company called tyresinstock.com in October 2010, which in total shows approximately 15 million units comprising 53,000 different tyres; and the signing of an agreement with Sibur Russia to distribute its tyres in certain parts of Europe.”  

Klapwijk and van Dijk see themselves as “two of the tyre industry’s dinosaurs”: Simon started his tyre career in 1976 and Henk in 1988. They say they have built up a “well-respected” international operation, with a “loyal customer and supplier base”. S&H boasts the exclusive brand Zeetex, which includes over 200 different sizes in the passenger, 4X4, truck and OTR segments.

The company looks set to continue as a family-led operation into the distant future, with Klapwijk’s two sons and van Dijk’s one now working in S&H’s operation; the founders say they are “ready for the future for which we are optimistic.”