National Tyres and Autocare has begun offering vehicle servicing at selected outlets. It offers three vehicle servicing packages, starting with a 25-point Express Service and going up to a full 51-point Full Service.
After years of expansion amongst the top 20 UK tyre retailers, the latest data shows that this trend peaked in 2017/2018 when the top 20 accounted for 2014 branches. The same 20 tyre retailers had 1980 branches between them in 2018/2019. And what’s more, the reorganisation of one retailer alone accounted for a 40-centre decline in branch count, with the overall figure remaining positive due to growth at other chains. Here Tyres & Accessories analyses the branch count data in the context of 10 years of comparable research.
National Tyres and Autocare, one of the largest independent fast fit tyre specialists in the UK are pleased to announce that they have been approved to deliver the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) in Light Vehicle Inspection. National’s ability to provide rigorous quality training and development was at the core of the approval granted by the Institute of the Motoring Industry (IMI).
National Auto Parts has experienced considerable growth in export markets in the past year, as the company looks to fly the flag for UK engineering at Automechanika Frankfurt.
With a growing customer base abroad and further opportunities being explored in Poland, Scandinavia, Ukraine and Germany, National has invested in all areas of its business to ensure it offers an exciting proposition for a growing, diverse customer base.
In last year’s ranking of the top tyre retailers in the UK, Tyres & Accessories predicted that the pace of change in the top 20 chains by branch count would result in some jostling for position. This has proved entirely accurate, as two major acquisitions have brought two of 2017’s top 20 into the fold of higher ranked companies, leading to both Micheldever/Protyre, leapfrogging HiQ into fourth place as predicted last year, and Lodge Tyre, into the top 10 from joint-14th last year, making significant jumps in this year’s table. Most other retailers have held relatively stable positions in terms of the number of stores, while our most recent additions to the table, Eden Tyres (15 stores) and Elite Garages (13) were identified as narrowly missing out on places last year.
The Executive Board of Axle Group Holdings Limited have ratified a £12 million, three-year inward investment strategy to help drive its business forward. Further announcements specifically relating to the firm’s acquisition strategy are expected.
For a third successive year, Dunlop tyres has continued to support National Tyres and Autocare (NTA) with its impressive apprentice programme, aimed at developing 16-18 year olds looking to enter the fast fit industry. Since 2015, Dunlop tyres has been a strong supporter of this programme, working with NTA to encourage and shape the future of the tyre industry.
Lesley Dalziel, previously group finance director, has been promoted to the position of chief financial officer (CFO) for Axle Group Holdings Ltd (which incorporates National Tyres and Autocare and Viking Wholesale Tyres).
The 2017 edition of Tyres & Accessories’ annual retail report shows that the overall number of branches controlled by the top 20 retail chains continues to grow. However, that is just part of the story and the data shows that there have actually been significant movements in every tier of the top 20. Perhaps the clearest observation is that Micheldever’s Protyre retail chain is once again the fastest growing in the UK – a title it claims in 2017 for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Goodyear’s HiQ franchise network is the top 20’s fastest faller – something that suggests the first changes in the make-up of the top five since we started tracking the UK retail landscape could take place before the year is out.
National Tyres and Autocare’s 2016 promotion in conjunction with summer blockbuster, Ghostbusters, led to a marked increase in overall customer engagement and response, the garage chain stated. The campaign included radio, national press, and digital advertising, with fans of the franchise given the chance to visit the New York City locations featured in the film when purchasing any two tyres.
Axle Group Holdings, parent company of National Tyres and Autocare and Viking Wholesale Tyres, has appointed two to its digital division, growing its marketing department. James Kelly has been appointed as digital marketing manager, and Jack Underwood as digital marketing executive.
Dunlop Tyres has helped to design and deliver an in-depth training course in conjunction with National Tyres and Autocare Centres (NTA). Aimed at NTA’s assistant branch managers, the course is the first of its kind, focusing solely on developing assistant branch managers in NTA’s centres nationwide. There has not previously been a training course which offers such in-depth and wide-ranging training for the assistant branch managers.
In order to back “some of the most promising automotive apprentices” making their way into the fast fit industry, Bridgestone is lending its support to National Tyres for a fourth consecutive year by providing a number of ‘tyre toolbags’ designed to help apprentices with their career adventures.
National Tyres has is partnering with summer blockbuster Ghostbusters in a campaign spanning radio, national press advertising and digital campaigns and which is designed to engage with customers and film fans alike.
National Tyres and Autocare will expand its network by 10 branches over the next year. Launching at the start of July, and projected to finish in early 2017, this expansion phase will include new branches in London, Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, South Wales and the South West. These branches will join the existing network of 241 branch locations operating throughout the UK. National added that 14 further sites are currently “in the pipeline”. The network is the UK’s third largest; the latest expansion will demonstrate its sharpest growth in locations for five years.
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