Heuver highlights Barkley, Aeolus with two Reifen 2016 stands

Heuver Tyrewholesale reports that the four exhibition days at Reifen 2016 were a “great success” for the company. The Netherlands-based wholesaler placed a strong focus on Aeolus and Barkley at the show – Barkley, still a relatively new brand for Heuver and a Reifen newcomer, gained its own show stand, while the Aeolus tyre range was represented in a large, open exhibition space shared with Heuver.

“Our decision to use a transparent stand made our presence extra eye-catching,” shares Bertus Heuver, director of Heuver Tyrewholesale. “In the run-up to Reifen 2016, we wanted our largest stand to make a connection between our vision and our image. The basic premise of the exhibition is that our clients can always rely on our ‘5 Guarantees’. This means that we are fully transparent and that getting the best for our clients is the fuel for our drive to succeed. There was therefore no secrecy: no booths, no stage, no selection on the door. That’s not how we work. We wanted our stand to be very open, and actively show that transparency is more than just a word to us.

Jan Heuver has retired after working for the wholesaler for all but one of its 50 years in the business

“Making contact with existing and potential clients was more important than showcasing lots of tyres,” adds Heuver. “And judging by the number of excellent conversations we conducted, I can say that this approach was a great success. What better way to mark our company’s 50th anniversary year?”

Heuver Tyrewholesale celebrated its 50th anniversary at a well-attended stand party held on the first evening of Reifen 2016, and during the event took the opportunity to publicly farewell Jan Heuver. The older son of company founder Mans Heuver is retiring after 49 years with the firm.

“I did my work with pleasure and passion,” shared Jan Heuver recently. “I was particularly proud of the great team of people I encountered every day – in our wholesale activities and at the 13 Profile Tyrecenter branches. After all, they make the company and make a difference. Every day, they promote our great products and give their utmost. We have come a long way over the past 50 years, but everything felt very natural. The company now has solid foundations, so I thought the time was right to take a back seat.”

Aeolus Neo series, Barkley well received

As distributor for the Aeolus commercial vehicle range in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark and Romania, Heuver strongly promoted the brand and its upcoming Neo truck tyre series. Bertus Heuver shares that the wholesaler is “extremely happy” with this new line, which was shown at Reifen in prototype form ahead of its market release. Heuver adds that “the tyres attracted a great deal of interest.” A further Aeolus product on display was the TransAce van tyre, which according to the director “ties in perfectly with the truck tyre programme.” He expects “a great deal” from this range once the new all-season fitments are introduced. Summing up Heuver’s focus on Aeolus, Bertus Heuver reflects: “In general, we can see that Aeolus’s vision for the future and new technology will greatly strengthen our competitive position, including in the OEM market.”

Heuver Tyrewholesale also reports a great deal of visitor interest in the new truck and trailer tyres shown on its Barkley stand. “Following the quiet build-up to our exclusive European contract with Barkley, we will no doubt be turning up the volume in the years to come,” comments Bertus Heuver. “We started by creating agricultural and earthmoving tyres with the Barkley brand, which were extremely well received. The demand for these products is visibly increasing. At the trade fair, we also saw that Europe is ready for the new ‘+’ truck tyre series, the new BL621 and BL826 on/off-road tyres and the brand new, extremely strong BLT08 trailer tyres. Reifen 2016 came along at exactly the right moment. The market is going to hear a lot more from Barkley in the future.”

The wholesaler supplies the Barkley truck and OTR tyre ranges to markets where it does not sell the Aeolus brand. Bertus Heuver recently told Tyres & Accessories that the wholesaler has “filled a gap in the market” by taking on distribution of the Barkley brand in Europe. “We were searching for a good brand that gave us the freedom to sell large volumes in countries like the UK, Poland and Italy.” The commercial vehicle and off-road tyre specialist is not distributing the Barkley passenger car tyre range.