Interpneu looking to grow in Europe

When visiting the team at Interpneu during The Tire Cologne, we assumed they’d talk about business at home in Germany. We were wrong – the wholesaler shared a strong interest in expanding its operations in the UK and in northern Europe. Plans to do this are already in place.

“We’re in talks with local partners regarding distributorship, including for our Platin private brand of tyres and alloy rims,” explains Tim Eisen, Interpneu’s sales representative for Great Britain and Scandinavia. Prior business in the UK has mostly centred on spot deals, however Interpneu is looking to forge new relationships with both large and small customers, starting initially in the passenger and van tyre segment. In particular, Eisen views Platin as an attractive proposition for British wholesalers, independent tyre and wheel dealers and also car dealerships.

“Many people assume that all private brands are budget, no-name products, but this is certainly not the case with Platin,” he states. All summer, winter and all-season tyres in the Platin portfolio are positioned within the quality segment and are manufactured by a global top-ten tyre maker. The latest additions to the Platin range are two all-season lines, the RP 100 Allseason and RP 700 Van Allseason; the first of these features an asymmetric tread pattern and silica compound and is available in 40 sizes for 13- to 17-inch rims diameters, while the second is available in 12 sizes for 15- and 16-inch rim diameters. Both are 3PMSF marked for year-round use.

Interpneu can supply customers with small quantities of tyres or rims via parcel delivery services, a convenient option for smaller businesses whose turnover doesn’t warrant ordering entire containers or truckloads of tyres. All consumer tyres are shipped from the Interpneu tyre logistics centre in Speyer, southwest Germany, a 70,000 square metre facility that holds circa 1.3 million tyres and can offer a speedy parcel service and good availability, including for all leading tyre brands.

“We are one of Germany’s strongest wholesalers,” Eisen emphasises. “Our private brand has been established for more than 30 years now. We can offer good availability and customer care/service – these are the main priorities for a strong partnership, and an extra point of difference we can provide customers in the UK and northern Europe.