Stapleton’s becomes Great Britain distributor of Triangle car and van tyres

Triangle Tyre headquarters, Weihai, China

Triangle Tyre has signed an exclusive Great Britain distribution agreement with the island’s largest tyre wholesaler, Stapleton’s Tyre Services. The deal means Stapleton’s gets sole distribution rights for Triangle branded passenger car and van tyres within Great Britain, building on the strengthening relationship between the two companies. In recent years, Stapleton’s has become the largest distributor of Triangle products in Europe.

The agreement comes after comprehensive testing of the Triangle range by Stapleton’s and its ultimate parent company Itochu. Stapleton’s states that Triangle is a “strong strategic fit in the economy segment” of its portfolio. It will make the brand available to “all customers in every channel.”

New Triangle car and van tyres

Triangle has made heavy investments in its economy tyres for light vehicles in recent years. It has put into place an extensive research and development programme, bringing new products and sizes to the global tyre market regularly. Triangle displayed three new product lines for the European light vehicle tyre market at The Tire Cologne in May: the EffeXSport TH202, a new UHP product; the ReliaX TE307 touring tyre; and the SeasonX Van TA702, a new all-season tyre for light commercial vehicles. It said that further enhancements, increased fitments and new tread patterns are planned for the coming months. These product updates are now achieving consistently high European label scores.

Andy Fern, managing director of Stapleton’s, said: “We have seen a growing demand from customers for a well-supported, branded offering in the economy segment. Everyone understands the role brands play in the premium and mid-range sectors, but we believe that there is clear space for a strong brand at an entry level price point. Over the last two to three years, we have been assessing propositions in this segment which could complement our existing portfolio and Triangle fits the bill perfectly.

“We have carried out intensive testing on the Triangle line up and we have seen it deliver excellent performance at very competitive prices. We are delighted to be cementing our relationship with this exclusive agreement. This ensures consistent, nationwide supply throughout our network, which will allow our customers to plan their own sales and marketing programmes with confidence.”

Corrado Moglia, Triangle’s general manager for Europe, says: “The Triangle brand has been present in the British market for almost 20 years and this agreement is set to build on those foundations. Drivers are looking to reduce their costs, but still want to be able to choose products they can trust. We believe that strong brands can be a significant advantage in these lower price segments and our relationship with Stapleton’s will provide the platform to grow the Triangle brand across the country. We have the ambition to quickly build annual sales to one million tyres in the UK market, and Stapleton’s is the perfect partner to enable us to do this.”

Stapleton’s broadening offer to customers

The new agreement is the latest strategic move by Stapleton’s to provide its customers with the broadest offering in the market. This is not only reflected in its product portfolio, but in other areas such as the launch of Project TREE, the sustainable rubber programme, and the acquisition of Murfitts Industries by Stapleton’s parent ETEL. The latter development has allowed Stapleton’s to support its customers with a fully audited casing collection service linked to its tyre deliveries, streamlining operations and reducing administration and handling costs.

Fern says: “Our goal is to provide customers with all the support resources they need from cradle to grave, enabling them to focus all their efforts on servicing their own customers, knowing that they have a responsible and reliable partner they can count on.”