First Stop has promoted Brenden Marais to Retail North Network and Procurement Manager. The promotion follows a two-and-a-half year spell as national franchise manager.
Colewood Automotive, the tyre e-commerce platform operator, has recruited Mark Widdows as network director. Widdows has more than 40 years’ experience in the tyre industry. He has managed and developed franchise networks comprised of independent dealers for both Goodyear and Bridgestone over the last 17 years. Colewood Automotive is behind several of the biggest tyre websites in the UK including Asda Tyres, etyres and RAC Tyres. Widdows will be responsible for increasing its business online and broadening its fitter network.
BMTR Birmingham has secured a double victory in Pirelli’s UK retail network awards. The West Midlands retailer was awarded Pirelli Performance Centre (PPC) of the Year and Pirelli’s 4×4 Key Dealer of the Year, recognising BMTR’s “exceptional commitment to excellence and outstanding service in the automotive industry,” according to Pirelli. This is the fifth time BMTR have been crowned PPC of the Year. Chris Woodhall, sales director at BMTR, said the awards were “a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our entire team.” Pirelli UK CEO, Livio Magni, said that the company applauds BMTR “for achieving this accolade for the fifth time. BMTR Birmingham has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in all areas of their business, from customer service to technical expertise.”
Point S has expanded its national reach in France to nearly 1,000 branches. The tyre dealer and car maintenance network has added the 49 sites belonging to the Etape Auto network, reports the French trade magazine Le Journal de Pneumatique.
A one-stop tyre shop in Basingstoke for truckers, farmers and motorists is the latest depot to become a member of the First Stop network. R & R Tyres, situated on Armstrong Road, will benefit from a wide range of support, including a £5,000 investment already made in new signage. The garage is one of the most popular in the town and one of very few in the country to fit tyres for HGVs, tractors, vans and passenger vehicles all under the same roof, while also offering a mobile call-out service around the area.
Essex garage owner Laurence Nichols has promised to drive his Harlow business into a new era having strengthened ties with the First Stop network on his 50th anniversary in the motor trade. Nichols runs Uncle Tom’s Motorist Centre, which he named after his father who died in 1989. Now 63, the garage owner began his career making the tea for colleagues back in 1972, before his family business fully kicked into gear in 1976. When his father Tom passed away, he decided to change the name of the garage in his memory. He says thoughts of his father continue to spur him on.
Michelin approved motorcycle dealer FWR has completed a major depot refurbishment, including the installation of a new two-wheel MOT station. One of the longest standing motorcycle partner dealers in the Michelin Quality Centre (MQC) network is now owned by racer Bob Collins. With the company affected severely by the pandemic, Collins and his team used the time wisely, renovating its site in Kennington Road, London.
One of Bicester’s oldest and most popular tyre centres has become the latest independent garage to join the First Stop network. The Victoria Road garage is benefitting from new signage, marketing and social media support, and a broader range of premium tyres already in place. It has also added an MOT station and the latest vehicle diagnostic equipment, worth thousands of pounds. Grip Tyres has provided tyre services to the town’s motorists for around 27 years. First Stop said its popularity in the community was a compelling factor behind the network’s initial approach.
Global lubricant brand, Motul has announced the appointment of Worcester-based branded products specialists, Nemesis, as its newest distributor – as both companies look to implement their ambitious growth plans in the UK Automotive Aftermarket. Motul, who are well established in the UK in the motorsport, enthusiast car and motorcycle sectors – where they are already amongst the best-selling brands – earlier in the year announced their intention to target the general aftermarket in Britain and this new appointment is seen as a major step in putting the resources in place to achieve this.
The Doublestar Group reports that it has signed a cooperation agreement with information and communications company Huawei. According to information posted by Doublestar, the partners will utilise their respective strengths to develop the infrastructure for a 5G network over which tyre pressure, temperature and wear data can be transmitted and shared between vehicles and companies in real-time.
Aberdeenshire-based Turriff Tyres has been given the Michelin stamp of approval, after becoming the first new dealer of 2021 to join the Michelin Quality Centre network. The family-owned business has a well-established reputation in the north of Scotland as a market leader for high performance tyres.
Michelin has appointed Lee Hulme as UK distribution channel and programme manager. In the new role, Hulme will oversee the manufacturer’s four accredited dealer networks for the motorcycle, car, agricultural and commercial vehicle sectors. With the appointment, Michelin has unified its dealer programmes for each segment. It also marks its growing focus on these accredited networks, which in the UK and Ireland now comprise 374 locations. Previously, its dealer programmes were co-ordinated by separate departments internally.
Nokian Tyres has shifted away from its Vianor retail franchise concept in Germany. The Finnish tyre manufacturer said that it is “continuing the close cooperation with our former Vianor dealers in a new, but similarly intensive way under our Nokian Authorised Dealers (NAD) marketing concept.” The move comes shortly after Nokian sold its US Vianor Tire Centers business to Point S, and signifies a move away from the Vianor branding outside the brand’s domestic-plus Nordic region, where Vianor is established with 186 Vianor Equity locations. Anna Hyvönen, SVP, Nordics & Vianor, told Tyres & Accessories that the company is enacting its plans to “optimise” its Central European and North American distribution network via NAD, “focusing on the quality of the partners and providing excellent support and benefits.”
Michelin’s motorcycle partner dealers were given an in-depth market review and briefed on the business’s strategy for the year ahead at the annual Michelin Two-Wheel Conference.
Servicesure, the national garage network, is extending a 10 per cent discount to members of the Confederation of British Surgery (CBS) and their families at participating Servicesure Autocentres.
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Nokian Tyres; Dr. Falk Köhler PR