Falken Tire Europe raises tyre prices, UK market unaffected

Falken Tire Europe GmbH has now announced in a letter to its business partners that it is implementing new price lists effective 1 January 2022 for both the Falken brand and for Sumitomo tyres. The price increases are considerable and extend well into the double-digit range. At the same time, the manufacturer is revising down certain price adjustments announced in September for the new year. However, both sets of price increases are limited to the German-speaking markets with Falken/Sumitomo Rubber representatives confirming to Tyres & Accessories that the price increases do not apply in the UK.

According to our sister publication reifenpresse.de, Falken Tire Europe GmbH isn’t excluding any make or product in its latest price revision, but neither is it increasing its prices uniformly. For their part, Falken tyre prices will go up between 4.5 and 12 per cent. While car, 4×4/SUV and light truck tyres with winter treads are going to be 4.5 per cent more expensive. Meanwhile, the manufacturer is adding eight per cent to summer tyres and nine per cent to all-season tyres. Falken truck tyres, on the other hand, are reportedly going to be 12 per cent more expensive. Sumitomo branded tyres will also become significantly more expensive.

The most recently announced new year price hikes partly contradict earlier communications from the company issued in September 2021. At that time, the manufacturer had planned that Falken winter tyres would become 10 per cent more expensive on 1 January 2022, but now the sales company based in Offenbach am Main is only planning a price increase of 4.5 per cent. The Sumitomo brand consumer tyres were also originally intended to become even more expensive. A surcharge of 10.5 per cent was planned, but now hikes of only 7.5 and 9.5 per cent will be implemented.

The Falken market and channel managers Jürgen Koch, Sales Director Germany Replacement, Günther Riepl, Sales Director Central-East Europe, and Marcel Majert, Sales Director Car Dealer Europe, co-signed the current cover letter for the new price list suggesting “some challenges had turned markets around the world upside down: Rising raw material prices, delivery bottlenecks and increased transport costs are the far-reaching consequences of this turbulence.”

In any case, those doing business in the UK won’t be impacted by the latest news as neither set of price increases apply in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Specifically, a Falken tyre spokesperson confirmed that “price rises mentioned in this [German language] article are not relevant to UK dealers.” Furthermore, if any hypothetical UK-specific price changes were announced Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) would announced them “if or when they are decided”.