Grouptyre Says New e-Commerce Initiative Benefits Trade
Grouptyre has launched a new e-commerce platform intended to make it easy for consumers to buy tyres via the web. In addition the Good Tyre Guide (www.goodtyreguide.com), as it is known, is also designed to channel business to retailers so they can get a share of the growing online marketplace. In its launch information Grouptyre reports that consumers are increasingly happy to buy online, citing data that suggests UK shoppers spent £38 billion in 2009 (source: 4psmarketing.com). With the launch of new site Grouptyre says it is determined that its tyre retailing customers won’t get left behind.
Continue ReadingAnalysis: Saying All Budget Tyres are Lethal is an Unfair Generalisation
What Car?’s tyre test team make a good point highlighting the differences between some premium and budget products in their recent tyre test. But it appears they went a step too far when they entitled the feature “why budget tyres could kill” lumping the three cheaper products (Arrowspeed, Ovation and Sunew) together in the their final conclusion. It might sound a touch pedantic, but the addition of the word “some” in the headline may have been fairer as this would have avoided generalising about the overall quality of tyres. It didn’t take long after Tyres & Accessories reported on the tests on our daily e-Newsletter for the manufacturers involved to take up their right to reply. The Korean manufacturer behind Kwik-Fit’s popular Arrowspeed tyre brand arguably has the best case for disputing being tarred with the saw low-budget brush as the Ovation and the Sunew tyres.
Continue ReadingReport: Budget Tyres Could Kill, But at Least They’re Quiet
What Car? has named and shamed budget brands in a test warning that tyres like these “could kill.” In the test published online on 4 August 2010 What Car? measured the performance of the Arrowspeed CP661, Continental Premium Contact 2, Goodyear Optigrip, Michelin Pilot Sport 3, Ovation VI-182 and Sunew YS112 in dry braking, wet braking, lateral grip and noise tests. The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 came out top, with particularly strong results in wet and dry braking. However, there were some shocking outcomes in the budget sector when it came to braking and noise.
Continue ReadingTAFF Awards 2010: Environment Award
In this final category only two companies – Credential Environmental and DME Tyres – survive from last year's finalists and they are joined by previous winners Kingpin Tyres, Envirotyre and Hardings Vans, a company providing a localised service. I said final category, however, it is worth noting that the NTDA's "Innovation Award" will be presented on awards night too. But seeing as the nominations for this haven't been published yet, the Environment Awards counts for the last category in our coverage. Click more for the nominations.
Continue ReadingStapleton’s Confirms Pirelli CPK Purchase
Stapleton’s Tyre Services has confirmed that it has agreed terms with Pirelli Tyre UK to purchase its CPK Auto Products Ltd business. Asked what the strategic intention behind the firm’s latest acquisition is, Stapleton’s representatives said “Pirelli’s CPK strengthens Stapleton’s position as the UK’s number one tyre distributor” and said the move sees the tyre distribution specialist “expand its trade distribution operation enabling a further improvement in efficiencies and customer service” in an official statement. No details of the terms of the sale have been released. Commenting on the acquisition, Stapleton’s chief executive, Kenji Murai, said: “We are a growing business and this latest acquisition allows us to further improve our market position. Our aim is to provide excellent value for money alongside great customer service, across all our B2B sectors. This philosophy will be at the heart of everything we do.”
Continue ReadingPirelli Sells CPK Tyre Wholesale Business to Stapleton’s
Stapleton’s Tyre Service has agreed terms to buy Pirelli’s CPK tyre wholesale business for an undisclosed sum. A TUPE consultation process commenced with elected representatives of CPK on Monday 26 July. The sale is said to fall within Pirelli UK's strategy to focus on its core business, which does not include tyre retail or wholesale operations.
Continue ReadingVeyron Tyres Last Just 37 Miles at Top Whack
While everyone else was drooling over the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports’s jaw dropping 267 mph (431 km/h) performance on the BBC’s Top Gear programme last night, Tyres & Accessories was observing the tyre geek angle – at those kinds of speeds even the best tyres simply don’t last very long. During his report, May pointed out that Bugatti engineers had told him the car’s tyres lasted for around 37 miles a speeds of up to 258 mph (414 km/h). At speeds beyond this, however, the tyres’ life expectancy is somewhat more opaque: “Ask an admiral how deep his submarine goes,” Top Gear’s May was told.
Continue ReadingWholesale Stalwart Dick Anderson Retires
After some 46 years in the industry, well known tyre industry veteran Dick Anderson retired from wholesaler RH Claydon on 30 June. Having started as a youngster in the industry with North British Tyre & Rubber (latter to become Uniroyal Tyres) in Edinburgh in 1964, Anderson says that he has enjoyed his time “in a fascinating and now complex industry” and seen the many changes over the years.
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Sells Insurance Business for £215 million
Kwik-Fit Group Limited has announced that it has agreed to sell its UK Insurance business (KFIS) to Fortis UK Limited for £215 million, a division of Belgium-based Ageas. The transaction is subject to the usual regulatory approval, but is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2010. According to the company, the transaction marks the successful completion of a strategic review for the KFIS business announced in February 2010. Proceeds from the sale will be used to repay debt which, together with funds injected into the business as part of the recently completed covenant reset exercise at the end of 2009, will reduce net bank debt to £486 million. In an official statement on the matter, company representatives said the move leaves the business “in a strong position to exploit growth opportunities in its core fast-fit businesses.” It will also go some way towards halting speculation that the company’s private equity owners (PAI) are looking to sell the entire business as the rumours themselves appear to have been based on the size of Kwik-Fit’s debts.
Continue ReadingHalfords Sales Reach £831.6 million Supported by Nationwide Acquisition
Halfords Group Plc has reported preliminary full year 2010 results (April to April) showing sales of £831.6 million, up 4.6 per cent on 2009 and up 0.7 per cent like-for-like. The company’s gross margin grew to 54.4 per cent, while operating profit shot up 17.5 per cent to £119.7 million, representing 14.4 per cent of sales (2009: 12.8%). The acquisition and “successful integration of Nationwide Autocentres” – four of the network’s branches are already said to have converted their livery – were clearly important parts of the company’s strong results. David Wild, Chief Executive, commented: “Halfords has had an excellent year…Sales growth in core areas, margin expansion and disciplined cost control has led to the delivery of 25 per cent earnings growth…In addition we made our first acquisition, Nationwide Autocentres, which represents a natural extension of Halfords service proposition in the car aftermarket and is already making a good contribution to the Group.”
Continue ReadingThe Guardian Publishes Michelin-Sponsored Tyre Labelling Roundtable
The Guardian has published comments made by the eleven participants in a roundtable discussion about the new European tyre labelling system, which will be introduced in November 2012. Operating the Chatham House rule (attributing no comments to those who made them), the discussion was split into the categories of what information the labels will contain – the tyre’s fuel efficiency, wet grip characteristics and road noise – and what the current labels do not contain – specifically the make and model of the tyre graded and the lifecycle of the tyre; both features that similar labels in the USA do contain.
Continue Reading![Hawleys Celebrates Centenary](https://www.tyrepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/generic01-1.jpg)
Hawleys Celebrates Centenary
During June, Sheffield-based tyre distributor Hawleys Tyres is celebrating its centenary. Seven months after Pirelli, in association with Tyres & Accessories, recognised the firm as the nation’s longest established tyre dealership, Hawleys reports that it is celebrating “selling and repairing tyres longer than any other family-owned company in Britain.”
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit Investing £100,000 In Scottish Branch Upgrade, Recruitment
Kwik-Fit is has announced plans to invest over £100,000 in installing computer training stations to support staff in their learning and development programmes at branches across Scotland. The investment comes as the company begins a recruitment drive, looking to take on up to 100 new staff in Scotland. 40 of these are expected to be employed in Glasgow and this week Kwik-Fit will be holding an open day at the Fielden Street centre for those interested in learning more. Paul Boulton, operations director at Kwik-Fit, who originally joined the company as a fitter, said: “The skills of our staff are the most important factor in our commitment to first class customer service. The new training centres are just one way in which we ensure our employees can fulfil their true potential within Kwik-Fit. Our staff have the opportunity to rise all the way to the top of the business, and the fact that the management team includes people who started as apprentices is testament to that fact.”
Continue ReadingAmazon.com Launches Online Wheel Store
Amazon.com customers can now choose from a catalogue of over 10,000 wheels after the online retailer, originally known for taking the lead in web-based book and CD sales, announced the launch of its Wheels Store (www.amazon.com/wheels). The site also offers a range of roughly 12,500 mainly motorbike and car tyres. According the company, the store showcases a vast selection from top brands like American Racing, Dip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., KMC, Mickey Thompson, Sacchi, Konig and Veloche. As in the Amazon.com Automotive Store, customers looking for wheels will discover the Automotive Part Finder, a powerful search tool that helps customers quickly find the wheels guaranteed to fit their specific year, make and model.
Continue ReadingPoint S Launched in UK Market
The Point S name will soon be one recognised by UK motorists following the signing of a partnership agreement with UK Tyre Group Ltd. The association of 13 independent dealers will represent the Point S network at its 56 outlets in England and Wales. Representatives from UK Tyre Group told Tyres & Accessories that the Point S rollout at outlets would begin “as soon as we have received the necessary planning permission.”
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