Merityre appoints new managing director

Dene Arnold has been appointed as Merityre managing director effective July 2022, having worked with the company for over 40 years where he started as a tyre fitter.

Specifically, Dene Arnold will move from his current position as general manager and executive director to the of role managing director. Arnold will be takes over from Noel Pope who will become chairman. Both Noel Pope and his brother Jolyon will remain as executive directors of the company.

Noel and Jolyon Pope have led Merityre since the early 1980s, having taken over from their father and founder, H. E. Pope, who set the company up in 1961, with the first branch opening in Sunbury in 1963. They have managed to successfully grow the company from just a handful of branches to 24 locations.

Arnold started working for Merityre in 1981 as a tyre fitter at the company’s Chertsey location, working his way through various positions in the business from workshop to management level, working at various Merityre branches as assistant manager to branch manager, and general manager. He was made a director of Merityre Specialists Ltd in 2003.

De Arnold commented: “My adult life has been dedicated to making the company the success it has become as an independent regional tyre and auto-service business. I have played a part in helping the company grow and prosper, as well as adding new services and ways customers can purchase from Merityre.

“There are new challenges for independent businesses like ours, as vehicle technology and complexity continue to change, we see these things as great opportunities and we’re prepared to invest in people, equipment, and training to help us meet these challenges. Our customers’ needs are our focus, and we will continue to give them the best customer experience possible,” he said, adding:

“The team at Merityre are made up of like-minded people, who work very hard to provide an excellent service to our customers.”

Dene Arnold also thanked both Noel and Jolyon Pope for their guidance over the years: “It has been a pleasure working alongside them and learning so much from them about the business and running it so successfully”.

Merityre is based in the West London and Thames Valley location, with their Head Office in Andover Hampshire.