Halfords buys Tyres on the Drive for £746,000
In October Halfords Group bought troubled online tyre retailer Tyres on the Drive for £746,000, but the company had previously valued the business at as much as £150 million.
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McConechy’s Tyre Service Ltd sold to Halfords for £8.5 million
Halfords Group plc bought McConechy’s Tyre Service Limited, the sixth-largest tyre retail business in the UK, on 7 November 2019 for £8.5 million. This makes the newly-expanded Halfords Autocentres the second largest tyre retailer in the UK.
Traxx Tyres adds Vredestein tyres to distribution range
UK tyre wholesaler Traxx Tyres has announced a new partnership with Apollo Vredestein. Traxx will initially stock and distribute Vredestein brand tyres, with the possibility of adding the Apollo tyre range in the future.
Tirescanner.com live in 42 US states, multi-million dollar funding close
Less than a year after Tirescanner.com was founded, at the start of November, the business reported that it is live in Florida. This means Tirescanner already covers 1200 postcodes codes, matching consumers with products from a range of hundreds of thousands of tyres and – crucially – connecting them with “the best local retailers”. At the moment this works on a next day install, but the plan is to take this to a same-day level. And more states are said to be coming fast. We’re used to pretty rapid progress when it comes to dotcom start-ups, but such fast growth is more understandable when you consider that Tirescanner is driven by Blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with Welch in order to find out how the company plans to continue and sustain this growth.
Michelin: 9 new two-wheeler tyre lines in 2020
Sales of Michelin motorcycle tyres have doubled within the past five years. The tyre maker also aims to double sales again in the coming five, and will be aided here by a comprehensive renewal within its two-wheeler tyre portfolio in 2020. No less than nine new products will be introduced next year, a line-up expected to represent a quarter of Michelin’s sales within this segment. The new additions are currently on display at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy
Decline in car sales continues in October
UK new car registrations declined -6.7 per cent last month, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 10,348 fewer cars were registered than in October last year, reflecting a tough environment for businesses and consumers as economic and political uncertainty continued to impact confidence.
Motokiki enters administration
Lydia Limited, the company behind tyre price comparison site Motokiki, called in the administrators on 24 October 2019. Simon Girling and Chris Marsden of BDO LLP were appointed Joint Administrators on the same day. Tyres & Accessories understands that the administrators are seeking to sell the technology assets of the company and is seeking offers before a Friday 15 November 2019 deadline.
Smart tyres, smart infrastructure
Tyre people often remind us that the tyre is a vehicle’s only point of contact with the ground. This is, of course, true and a very salient point. However, as tyres get smarter, so are roads and infrastructure.
Auto Bild: Bridgestone & Vredestein the “best tyres for the cold season”
In the spring, Auto Bild looked at the wet and dry braking results from five of its latest summer and all-season tyre tests. Tyre brands that had participated in at least three tests received an average percentage value for all braking tests results, and based on these values the motoring magazine named Michelin its ‘Manufacturer of the Year’. With winter now approaching, Auto Bild has reached for its pocket calculator again to work out which products are “the best tyres for the cold season”.
Goodyear returns to UK motorsport with sole BTCC tyre supply
From next year, Goodyear will replace its sister brand Dunlop as sole tyre supplier to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Goodyear says the decision comes with a view to enhancing the Goodyear brand within the motorsport and ultra-ultra-high-performance (UUHP) segments. Goodyear first returned to motorsport outside North America at the end of August with the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone.
Michelin to close truck tyre factory in France
The Michelin Group informed the 619 employees at its tyre production facility in La Roche-sur-Yon, France this morning that it will close the site by the end of next year. In addition, 74 people at Michelin’s Cholet plant, employees working in roles related to the supply of rubber mixed to the La Roche-sur-Yon site, are also affected by the closure.
Year-round all-rounders: Auto Bild tests its all-season tyre finalists
If you are like most UK motorists and want to drive year-round on the same set of tyres, then all-season tyres may well be the right choice for you. But is there such thing as a tyre that offers safe driving in every type of weather? After testing 31 all-season tyre models, Auto Bild believes there is.
Over 600 attend 90th NTDA annual dinner and Tyre Industry Awards
After a day conference focusing on investing in the tyre industry’s personnel, technology and the trends associated with the next generation, last night saw 600 members of the tyre industry gather at the ICC in Birmingham for the 90th annual NTDA dinner and Tyre Industry Awards.
Kings Road Tyres in administration
Beleaguered wholesale and tyre services company Kings Road Tyres is now in administration, with KPMG appointed joint administrators. The administration comes at the end of nearly a decade of turbulence for the company, which is one of the UK’s oldest tyre wholesale operations, having been incorporated in 1959.
etyres.co.uk acquired by Colewood Group
The Colewood Group has acquired the online domain name www.etyres.co.uk following the business ceasing trading recently. Etyres.co.uk has since been re-launched with a brand new website on the 30 September 2019.
