Kwik Fit Club now open to corporate customers
Following its rollout to private vehicle owners last year, Kwik Fit is extending its tyre and maintenance subscription service to meet the needs of corporate customers. Those interested in learning more about Kwik Fit Club can do so today and tomorrow at Fleet and Mobility Live, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham.
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In pictures: NTDA Tyre Industry Award 2022 winners
The National Tyre Distributors Association presented the Tyre Industry Awards 2022, sponsored by Sailun Tyres, at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham on 6 October. Below you can view a gallery of the award winners from the evening ceremony, hosted by former BBC news presenter and triathlete Louise Minchin, NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay and national chairman Simon Wright. Click here for the list of winners, and here for the full list of nominees.
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Olympic gold medallists Adam Peaty, Charlotte Worthington become Bridgestone UK ambassadors
Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Bridgestone has unveiled its new campaign for the Paris 2024 Games with two new UK brand ambassadors: the five-time Olympic Swimming medallist, Adam Peaty, and Olympic Freestyle BMX gold medallist, Charlotte Worthington. “Prepared to perform” will see Bridgestone honour and highlight the diligence and determination of athletes on their way to the Games while supporting them in their preparation. As athlete ambassadors, Bridgestone said Peaty and Worthington “will personify the effort, dedication and perseverance needed to become champions.”
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Changing tyre distribution landscapes
The suggestion that the UK tyre distribution space is ripe for consolidation is not new. But during the single week that we went to press with the latest edition at the start of October, three big tyre retail announcements were made. First Stop broke through the 150-branch barrier. Point S announced that its buying group of independent tyre retailers now numbers 300. And Halfords bought Lodge Tyres for just over £37 million.
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Rewarding success in the tyre business
In July, TyreSafe held its first post-lockdown in-person day conference and awards event. More recently the NTDA named the winners at its annual Tyre Industry Awards event. And our sister publication WhatTyre.com has also published names of the winners of its 2022 WhatTyre Tyre of the Year awards. What these three things have in common is that they all aim to give credit where credit is due. They all aim to reward success.
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Hankook, Stapleton’s, Skidz lead 2022 Tyre Industry Awards winners
The Tyre Industry Awards 2022 were presented on 6 October at Birmingham’s VOX Conference Centre during the National Tyre Distributors Association’s 93rd Annual Dinner. The awards ceremony was sponsored by Sailun Tyres for the eighth consecutive year, while supplier member Maritime Cargo Services sponsored the dinner. Former BBC news presenter and triathlete Louise Minchin hosted the awards alongside NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay and national chairman Simon Wright. For a gallery of the winners, click here.
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Bridgestone promoting Tyre Safety month message in new portal
During Tyre Safety Month, Bridgestone has renewed its plea for motorists to take extra care on the roads. It has created a consumer facing campaign to highlight the importance of checking tyres and launched a new online portal that offers tips and advice on correct pressures and tread depths as well as advice for selecting the right tyre.
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‘Stronger together’ – tyre and aftermarket sector gathers for 2022 Tyre Industry Conference
The Tyre Industry Conference 2022 has opened at The Vox Conference Centre, Birmingham. The National Tyre Distributors Association’s annual event, sponsored this year by wholesaler GB Tyres and Indian tyre brand JK Tyre, is presenting tyre business delegates with a stimulating programme of presentations tackling the biggest questions facing different sectors of the distribution chain; from the newest innovations in tyres for electric vehicles to the key issues affecting tyre recovery and recycling. Stefan Hay, NTDA chief executive, set the tone of the event with his opening address, calling for a collaborative effort from the industry to tackle pressing issues, such as the skills shortage and efforts to decarbonise and promote the circular economy. Meanwhile, Simon Wright used his first conference address as NTDA national chairman to pay tribute to his predecessor Martin O’Brien as “a master of the round and black,” and to celebrate the association’s success in promoting tyre technician training and accreditation, with “around 2000 commercial tyre technicians” going through its newest scheme.
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Lodge Tyres ‘excited’ to create largest commercial tyre network in the UK
Following the news that Halfords has bought Lodge Tyres, company representatives shared their excitement in relation to the move. ”We are excited to announce that Lodge Tyre have now joined the Halfords Group”, a social media post stated.
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September van registrations improve, but YTD market -20% on 2021
The light commercial vehicle (LCV) market grew by 10.8 per cent to 34,950 units in September – a popular month due to the plate change. Despite strong order books throughout 2022, September is the first month of growth in registrations this year, as supply disruptions have restricted model availability. The SMMT warned that this performance is artificially inflated versus 2021; this September remains -35.5 per cent below the five-year pre-pandemic average.
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New car market up as plate change September marks 1 million EV milestone
The UK new car market recorded its second successive month of growth in September (the second ‘plate change’ month of the year), with registrations rising 4.6 per cent, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). During what is typically the second biggest month of the year for the sector, 225,269 cars joined Britain’s roads. While this was a 9,957 unit increase on last year, when the industry recorded its weakest September since 1998, overall registrations for the month are still some -34.4 per cent below pre-pandemic levels as the industry continues to battle issues constraining supply to fulfil a backlog of orders.
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EU-27 plus UK tyre imports rise 11% as winners and losers emerge from turbulent market
Since March, cumulative passenger car and light truck tyre imports to the European Union and UK have, for the first time, recovered to run above pre-pandemic levels. This is despite the well-documented impact of sharply higher ocean freight costs in this period, and disruption to production in some source countries. A newly published report by Astutus Research, “European PCLT Tire Demand and Supply Forecasts to 2026”, shows that in the first seven months of 2022, European (the EU-27 plus UK)* imports from outside the region were 11% higher than the same period last year and 5% higher than the equivalent pre-Covid period in 2019.
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First Stop breaks the 150-branch barrier
First Stop’s UK tyre and autocare retail operation recently broke through the 150-branch barrier. The leap to 150 tyre centres marks a significant milestone for any tyre business, but read in light of our annual tyre retail ranking, two key facts are immediately apparent: Firstly, First Stop has added something like 26 branches to the network since the last count at the end of April 2022 (which itself followed a 65-branch increase on the 2021 total). And secondly, reaching the 150 mark means that – as things stand – First Stop is now the fifth largest tyre retail operation in the UK. First Stop’s UK management set the goat or reaching 220 branches in four years back in 2019. Reaching 150 branches in three despite the challenging circumstances that have come along with the pandemic, is all the more remarkable.
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ATS Euromaster: Fleets, staff benefit from expanded night services
Over a period of 12 months, ATS Euromaster piloted an out-of-hours tyre inspection and replacement service for retailer and dotcom fleets. The tyre and maintenance provider recently opened up this night shift service to last-mile delivery operators is already generating over 9,300 servicing jobs per month. It says this service, which complements the existing emergency tyre work service it provides to blue lights fleets, is “already proving a hit for customers and staff.”
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Halfords acquires Lodge Tyre
Halfords Group plc has made a further tyre sector acquisition with its purchase of LTC Trading Holdings Limited and subsidiary Lodge Tyre Company for £37.2 million. The addition of Lodge Tyre’s 50 garages and 248 mobile vans takes the Halfords garage services business to 656 garages, 253 consumer vans, 440 commercial vans and nine warehouses.
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