Comment: Roll on 2015
As the evenings draw in and the temperatures drop, people not only make preparations for Christmas, but also consider the pros and cons of the last 12 months as well as look forward to next year. When it comes to the tyre business it is no different, I am sure we are all looking forward to our Christmas break – but this is also the season for stock-taking, both metaphorical and literal.
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White vans still popular across the country
Whatever their impact on recent political manoeuvring, white vans are more popular than ever. Indeed 57 per cent of van drivers choose the colour white, according to the latest data published by Direct Line for Business following a government Freedom of Information request (FoI). According to the data, the number of Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) on our roads has increased by over 700,000 (26 per cent) since 2003 to 3.35 million. There are also more vans on our roads than ever before, with the number of registered LGVs in Britain increasing by over 700,000 (26 per cent) since 2003 to 3.3 million in 2013.
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Tyre labelling ‘debacle’; ‘4-6.5m part worn tyre sales’
RH Claydon’s John Parker gave his first Tyre Wholesalers Group speech as chairman at the group’s annual lunch in November. Parker covered the current state of the market, before summing up current views on part worn tyres and tyre labelling, the latter of which he labelled a “debacle”. Attending the event, Tyres & Accessories reports the contents of Parker’s speech below. Parker contextualised what he had to say with current UK market figures. Saying that the consumer tyre replacement market has “stabilised at about 34m units give or take”, he reserved judgement on whether this represented a corner starting to be turned, while noting that this did not take into account part worn sales.
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Everything pointed to UK tyre market growth in 2014, but…
Without being too dramatic, 2014 was a bit of a disappointment. All the macroeconomic and sector-specific indicators seemed to point to 2014 being the year when the tide turned and when sell-out replacement tyre volumes finally started growing again. And yet the market looks like it is going to be down again when the full-year 2014 figures come in. Despite being a fully mature market, the UK car tyre replacement sector has basically been on varying degrees of a downer for the last six years. Things are not as bad as they were, but they certainly aren’t showing the signs of slow, stable growth they once were. With all this in mind, Tyres & Accessories spoke with GfK automotive account director Kevin Glynn in order to get a handle on what happened this year and what we can expect in 2015.
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‘Record numbers’ sign up to IAAF conference
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has unveiled its speaker line-up for its 2014 Annual Conference and hailed ‘record numbers’, with 100 aftermarket personnel already expected to attend. The conference ‘Change, challenge opportunity – gearing up for the future’ sponsored by Autoparts UK will address the major issues from both UK and Europe, highlight the key changes from both a technical and a market perspective and, consider what opportunities there are for the future.
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Giti lauds GT Radial network’s ‘exceptional’ Tyre Safety Month support
Giti Tire has thanked the GT Radial Performance Centres (GTPCs) for their support of October’s TyreSafe Tyre Safety Month. The company said that many sites in the network of retailers had undertaken an “exceptional level of activities”. Exemplifying this were Westgate Tyres in Morecambe and Ackworth Autoserv in Pontefract, which both held ladies’ safety days, […]
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Blackcircles on expansion, investment and going international
When Blackcircles.com appointed two new directors in early November, it was about more than simply expanding the range of experience available to the firm. It was also about driving the company’s international expansion plans forward. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with founder and managing director Mike Welch in Edinburgh and found out more about […]
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