Traffic Commissioner consultation opened
Stakeholders are being encouraged to have their say as part of a review of the Traffic Commissioner function launched by the Government on 11 Wednesday August. The consultation period closes at 11:45pm on 8 September 2021. The recommendations of the review are expected to be published next spring.
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Anthony C. Gruppo to keynote at 2021 Tyre Industry Conference
The NTDA has named Anthony C. Gruppo CEO of Marsh Commercial, motivational speaker and author, as the opening keynote presenter at its 7th Tyre Industry Conference to be held at the ICC in Birmingham on Thursday 7 October. As CEO of Marsh Commercial, Anthony now has responsibility for leading over 2,500 colleagues based in over 50 branches throughout the UK.
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Kerr’s Tyres buys Auto Bann
At the start of August, Kerr’s Tyres Group, announced it had completed the purchase of Auto Bann. The acquisition of Auto Bann, one of Portadown’s most respected independent garages, means Auto Bann becomes the 13th Kerr’s Tyres & Auto location in Northern Ireland and the first in Portadown. Having entered Tyres & Accessories top 25 UK tyre retailer ranking in May 2021 when the company had 12 branches, the addition of Auto Bann means the chain’s current total of 13 is one step closer to 24th position, which is currently occupied by Elite Garages, with 14 branches.
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Kwik Fit teams up with SAS star to provide Staycation motoring advice
With forecasters predicting an improvement in the weather, and possibly even a heatwave in late August, many of those yet to begin their UK staycation will be looking forward to setting off for family time away. However, a study conducted on behalf of Kwik Fit shows that most drivers are not making the necessary checks to ensure their journey is trouble free. It reveals that only 32 per cent of drivers setting off on a family holiday adjusts their tyre pressure to allow for the extra weight of a full load. To combat avoidable safety and efficiency issues, Kwik Fit has recruited SAS star Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham.
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Hankook Tyre UK appoints new regional sales, national accounts managers
Hankook Tyre UK has appointed Andy Hodkin as its new regional sales manager, North East, and James Young as national accounts manager. Hodkin succeeds John Spilsbury, who has retired after nine years with the company, while Young takes up the position vacated by David Block, who retired on 1 July.
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Yokohama and The Classic return to TV
Yokohama returned as official tyre partner to The Classic, the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival hosted by Silverstone, this year. The tyre manufacturer, whose flagship Advan range has wide-ranging motorsport and classic car models and fitments, welcomed both classic car enthusiasts and families to the event, presenting a range of eye-catching rare vehicles at its stand and co-hosting the Chelsea FC Skills Zone. The football club held football skill sessions for 250 children with coaching by the Chelsea FC Foundation and giveaways and prizes. Action from the track is making it to TV screens this week on ITV4, with highlights broadcast tonight (11 August) at 8pm and on Thursday (12 August) at the same time and channel.
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Tyre Point car meet raises over £2200 for charity
At the end of July, Tyrepoint Ltd hosted a charity car meet at its Maidstone location in aid of the local Air Ambulance.
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Hella partners Pro-Align on ADAS calibration, wheel alignment solution
Hella Ltd, the vehicle diagnostics expert and pioneer of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration for the independent aftermarket, has, through its Hella Gutmann Solutions brand, partnered with Pro-Align, the complete wheel servicing equipment specialist and UK and ROI distributor of Hunter Engineering Equipment, to provide the market with the ultimate solution for wheel alignment and ADAS camera and radar calibration.
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Switch to Michelin means no punctures for Britannia Bus
Northampton-based Britannia Bus, which operates five local service bus routes, is on course to eliminate instances of punctures across its six-strong fleet after beginning the switch to a Michelin tyre policy two years ago. Managing Director Derek Taylor says he would previously suffer a puncture within the fleet at least once a month, but since beginning the move to a Michelin X Multi Z policy, the new tyres have delivered 100 per cent uptime.
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CAM celebrates 40th anniversary with £1.5 million annual R&D commitment
CAM is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month by committing to continue investment £1.5 million of investment a year in research and development design to “keep the tyre industry connected” and help “amplify its growth into the future”. Since its inception in 1981 by founders Trevor Allen and Len Miller, CAM has expanded to be the primary tyre solutions provider for 19 of the UK’s top 25 tyre wholesalers, and 16 of the UK’s top 25 tyre retailers have chosen CAM products to manage their tyre systems.
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Workshops must plan for activity peak in second half of 2021 – GiPA
GiPA UK, automotive aftermarket intelligence organisation, have released the Q2 results of their quarterly Aftermarket Pulse report. The market recovery situation by the end of June 2021 was 2.9 per cent higher than GiPA’s expectations. While in comparison to the same period in 2020, a double-digit recovery in the market has been observed – particularly in the second quarter of the year – the market is far from having recovered its 2019 activity levels.
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Domestic holiday popularity prompts TyreSafe message
Uncertainty about the safety and logistics of foreign travel means more holidaymakers will drive to other parts of the UK. YouGov data shows 47 per cent of British holidaymakers are planning to visit another part of the country in 2021, with many relying on their vehicle to get them to their destination. This rise in longer car journeys has prompted TyreSafe to remind drivers that there are more tyre-related incidents on the roads in summer than at any other time of the year.
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Alliance Automotive Group acquires J&S Automotive Distributors
Alliance Automotive Group UK (AAG), a subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company (GPC) and one of the UK’s leading aftermarket distributors, has acquired J&S Automotive Distributors (J&S). The acquired business, which includes its subsidiary Auto Components Northern Ireland, trades from three distribution centres in Dublin, Cork and Omagh with annual sales of approximately €35m.
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UK’s LCV tyre market retained 2019 value in 2020 – GfK
The UK light commercial vehicle tyre market had a relatively dynamic year in 2020, with value and volume changes in certain sub-segments driven by an increase in higher rim diameter tyre sizes, as well as increased demand for all-season – and even winter – performance. According to GfK panelmarket data, which tracks points of sale, comparing the calendar year 2020 to 2019, these growth subsegments supported a 2020 light commercial vehicle tyre market value change across all rim sizes of 0 per cent, while volume was down only -2 per cent. While LCV operators were not entirely immune to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdowns, these figures show how the essential services supported by van operators, such as last mile delivery resulting from booming e-commerce, allowed LCV tyres to achieve results within touching distance of pre-pandemic norms.
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NBRA collaborates with Kwik Fit to bring tyre prices up to date
“For many years the ‘Kwik Fit Tyre Insurance Price Guide’ has been the accepted insurance standard that bodyshops have been required to use for the tyre charge out price on insurance invoices. This was a process that worked very well with bodyshops buying tyres from Kwik Fit and making a 20 per cent margin before parts or bottom-line discounts. However, the price list had remained unchanged since 2017 leaving bodyshops in many cases forced to charge less for tyres than they were paying themselves”, said Chris Weeks, director of the National Body Repair Association (NBRA).
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