The 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.
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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.”
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit For Sale for £250 million?
Kwik-Fit, the UK’s leading tyre retailer, has reportedly been put up for auction by its owners PAI Partners. PAI, a French private equity group, bought Kwik-Fit from CVC Capital Partners for roughly £800 million in 2005 after seeing off competing bids from suitors including global tyremaker Bridgestone. Newspaper reports from sources including The Guardian and The Scotsman published on the 30 and 31 May respectively suggest that Kwik-Fit has once again attracted the attention of private equity groups including Blackstone, KKR and Permira. However both reports also speculate about the likelihood of Bridgestone’s involvement in bidding for Kwik-Fit’s latest change of ownership. A source close to Kwik-Fit’s owners told Tyres & Accessories that the press reports were inaccurate and “there is no formal sale process,” but confirmed that there is a formal sale process for the firm’s insurance arm.
Continue ReadingWynonna Judd Working in a Tyre Shop?
The erratic ongoing career of singer Wynonna Judd may have led to her being called a country retread, but you could be forgiven for thinking that is a close as she has been to a set of tyres. And you'd be half right. Last night (19 May 2010) American television network CBS broadcast its latest episode of “I Get That a Lot” – a programme which sees celebrities squirm in real-world jobs as customers question where they have seen them before – which saw Judd exchange country ballads for worn treads and wet traction.
Continue ReadingDoncaster Tyre Fire Will ‘Burn for Days’
A pile of around 2,000 tyres caught light at a landfill site in Hampole, Doncaster on 10 May. Fire crews were called to the Hazel Lane Landfill/waste recycling plant, run by Catplant Ltd at around 4.50am, according to local news reports. At the height of the blaze, there were a reported 40 fighters from both South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire dealing with a fire which was thought to extend down to five metres below the surface. The cause of the fire remains undetermined and a fire service spokesman said no investigations into the cause would be made until the blaze had been put out. There have been no reports of injuries.
Continue ReadingBrickhill: Tyre Labelling to Facilitate Tyre Value Conversation
his last public engagement before completing his transfer to Brussels. Goodyear Dunlop’s new vice president of the company’s EU Consumer Business Unit talked at length on a wide range of subjects including what he sees as “the cornerstone of our branding strategy”; his thoughts on the newly launched Dunlop High Performance Centre and the rest of the company’s retail involvement; Dunlop and HiQ’s roles in the BTCC and his experiences with the company over his time in the UK hotseat. Here, tyrepress.com presents Brickhills thoughts on his new role in the companys EMEA division and his views on tyre labelling. The whole interview will be printed in the May edition of Tyres & Accessories Magazine.
Continue ReadingFire at Environtyre in Country Durham
Envirotyre has suffered a significant fire at its tyre reprocessing plant on Littleburn Industrial Estate, Langley Moor, County Durham. According to local news reports, firefighters were called to the scene at about 10.30am today (22 April 2010). Fire chiefs reported that the fire could burn “for several more days.” No injuries have been reported. There has been no confirmation of how much damage has been caused. The Northern Echo reported that a plume of smoke emanating from burning tyre chip in at firm could be seen rising “hundreds of feet into the sky and [could be] seen as far away as Morpeth, in Northumberland, and on Teesside.” The fire is said to have burnt at close to 1,000 degrees Celsius at its peak.
Continue ReadingMicheldever’s Up For Sale, But Who’s Buying?
When you consider that they paid £85 million for Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) in 2006, it is no surprise that equity house Graphite Capital is willing to sell the company now it is in the position to command a £200 million price tag. Back then Graphite were cast as the backers for a management buy-in/buy-out that kept the independent tyre wholesaler in independent hands and out of the corporate grasp of ‘big business.’ Now it seems that the motivation to sell the UK’s largest single tyre wholesaler (along with its 50 Protyre retail depots) emanates primarily from the same equity house that kept it in the hands of its managers four years ago. Micheldever Tyre Services is said to have started out in a shed in 1972. Over the next 34 years Tony Todd grew the company into a market leading independent wholesaler with a loyal customer base. By the time he sold it in 2006, MTS had become a truly multi-million pound business, with the staff count reaching over 550 people, sales reaching £148 million annually and pre-tax profits amounting to £5 million a year. Since then turnover and staff levels have almost doubled to £275 million and 900 people in 2009, with MTS particularly benefitting from its exclusive distribution of some leading upper mid-range products during the recession.
Continue ReadingNational Tyres to Sell Tyres on eBay
National Tyres and Autocare reports that it has teamed up with eBay to offer car and van tyres to consumers online. National joins well known retail names Tesco, Argos and Debenhams as a top rated seller on the popular site. According to the company, the new partnership enables National to “reach out to a greater number of customers.” Michael Bourne, group marketing director at National Tyres and Autocare, commented: “We are always looking at innovative ways to reach new markets. Our research found that traditional eBay customers were unlikely to consider high street retailers for their tyre purchases, assuming prices to be uncompetitive.
Continue ReadingMicheldever Put Up for Sale, Wholesaler Could Reach Over £200 million
The UK’s largest tyre wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) could be about to change hands for over £200 million, more than twice the price paid for the company when it was sold in an equity-backed management buyout for £85 million in 2006. According to reports published in the 11 April issue of the Sunday Times, the sale would include 50 Protyre depots – Micheldever’s growing retail chain. MTS an annual turnover of £275 million, a roughly 20 per cent market share and employs almost 900 people.
Continue ReadingMicheldever Adds General Brand Car Line to 4×4 Range
Leading wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) has added the Continental produced General Tire brand’s car range to its existing General 4x4 offering. The addition of the General car range to MTS’s private/exclusive brand portfolio follows the development of General’s 4x4 range into “the UK market’s fastest growing replacement 4x4 brand,” according to Southam Tyres (MTS’s specialist 4x4 wing). According to the company, MTS recently launched the stunning range of General car and van tyres as an exclusive product for tyre retailers in need of a high quality, high margin retail tyre.
Continue ReadingFire Brigades Choose Bridgestone
Increasing numbers of UK fire services are choosing Bridgestone UK for their front line appliances. According to the company, fire services in Essex, West Sussex, East Sussex and Hampshire have all selected Bridgestone products due to the “enhanced performance, and improved life of their tyres.” Many fire services are changing to use the popular R249 truck tyre. Bridgestone UK’s popularity is said to be still on the rise, with more UK fire services either testing or using the company’s tyres.
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