60 new Apollo Vredestein specialists in the UK by next year

At present there are 220 Apollo Vredestein tyre specialists in the UK, and Apollo Vredestein says this number will increase by almost 30 per cent by next year, with 280 centres expected to be operating. This growth in the UK network is occurring as part a wider push to expand the network in Europe; Apollo Vredestein plans to have a total of 800 retail partners are across Europe by 2020, and in the coming months will increase its presence on the continent. Outlets in Belgium, Italy, Hungary and the Netherlands will be joined by new centres in Austria, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.

According to Apollo Vredestein B.V. president Mathias Heimann, the tyre maker has chosen to move away from a traditional franchising model and aims to make dealers “genuine business partners.” A key goal of the Apollo Vredestein 2016 Dealer Partnership programme, which is being rolled out across Europe over a two-year period, is to encourage “entrepreneurial spirit on the shop floor.”

The 2016 Dealer Partnership programme focuses on the relationship between Apollo Vredestein and its dealers (sell-in) as well as sales from the retailer to the end-user (sell-out), through use of “modern, public-engaging tools” that dealers have at their disposal, along with “aggressive expansion plans.”