On 27 January, Point S Development, the Lyon, France-based international headquarters of the Point S network, launched a new version of its “eios” European online ordering system. The new version was developed after analysing member purchasing behaviour over a period of several months; Point S Development says the latest eios website is more intuitive than the previous version.
On 18 December, point S Development and Portuguese independent tyre dealer network Mega Mundi announced the signing of a partnership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, point S Development becomes stakeholder in Mega Mundi and both retail networks will merge together under the point S banner. This combination of Mega Mundi’s 50 outlets and the existing 24 point S centres in Portugal will form the largest retail tyre network in Portugal, with 74 points of sale and complete national coverage.
Earlier this year Headley Tyres has embarked on a major construction project, namely the building of a new state of the art tyre centre. Headley Tyres has now announced that the building work has been completed and that their new purpose built premises are now fully operational.
This year point S returns as official event sponsor of the World Cup Nordic Opening, which will take place in Finland from 29 November to 1 December. Billed as the “world’s biggest world cup event in winter sports”, the World Cup Nordic Opening is a series of ten ski jumping, cross country and Nordic combined competitions; point S will serve as event sponsor for the cross country 15 kilometre men’s pursuit, which will take place on 1 December.
A new addition has been made to the winter tyre private label distributed by point S. The WinterStar 3 follows on from the WinterStar 2, a point S says it offers optimised traction and braking performance on snow, very good aquaplaning qualities, improved handling on dry roads, high stability in curves and low rolling noise and higher rolling comfort.
On Sunday 26th May Jason Addison and Paul Dunn from Addison Tyres raised £500 for Birmingham Children’s Cancer Centre. The pair raised the money by cycling along the No: 81 cycle route from Cosely to Shrewsbury.
Point S has appointed Jonathan Smith as a Pricing Analyst. As Pricing Analyst, Smith will be responsible for regularly reviewing the data provided to Point S by suppliers including Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokohama. Any insights gained from this information will then be fed back to member via the pricing area of the new Point S website. In addition he will also be developing a range of automated processes that will enhance member’s experience of Point S.
Pan-European retail business point S says it is on top of the world – almost literally – after sponsoring the two races in the Nordic World Cup opening which was held Kuusamo, Finland on the weekend of the 1 and 2 December. point S congratulated the winners of the races it sponsored, which were: Marit Bjørgen, in the lady’s 5 km Cross Country and Petter Northug in the men’s 15 km Cross Country men’s. The event saw 25,000 spectators watch 10 World Cup contests, with 400 competitors from 30 nations and television coverage estimated to reach 100 million people.
Yorkshire-based tyre wholesaler Bond International has announced that it has secured a deal with one of the fastest growing independent tyre, wheel and car service centre networks in the UK. From 1 November 2012, Bond will supply its exclusive brands Sailun and Jinyu as the main budget tyre offering to Point S.
Tyrenet UK Ltd and Benelux-based Profile Tyrecenter are entering into a joint venture that will see the two companies cooperate in the execution of the ambitious goal of becoming the largest tyre retail network in the UK. The goal is 1000 branches in the UK. And what’s more the partnership of the leading independent tyre dealer network and the award winning tyre retail leader in Benelux is seeking to get a foothold in the lease and fleet services market currently dominated by other leading players, while focusing on service excellence through the deployment of its unique ICT solutions across the new chain.
The point S network has extended its presence in North America by joining forces with Pneus Unimax, on of the largest independent Canadian networks. Pneus Unimax operates in Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces and Ontario, and is owned by 77 independent tyre dealers who manage 133 outlets under the Unipneu banner. This alliance with Pneus Unimax means that point S is now present in 27 countries worldwide with 2,500 points of sale and combined annual purchases of 15 million tyres.
The start of this year’s Tyre Safety Month is only weeks away, and the campaign has received a boost with the news that Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership is to become an official TyreSafe supporter. By supporting the non-profit organisation and its campaigns, Staffordshire residents and drivers passing through the county will receive a host of road safety information in the form of advice and information about the importance of correct tyre care and maintenance.
Leading global independent tyre dealer network Point S has become the latest full member of the tyre safety campaign group TyreSafe. As a member, the network says it will provide its 133 independently owned centres in the UK with tyre safety advice and information, helping them to educate their own customers and improve standards of tyre care. “With so many customer touch points, it’s fantastic to have the support and backing of a network as significant and large as Point S,” comments Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.
Pirelli has acquired 100 per cent of Däckia Holding AB, one of the main multi-brand tyre distribution chains in Sweden from private equity group Procuritas Capital Investors IV LP (and minority shareholders) for 625 million kronor (approximately 70 million euros). Reporting the news, Pirelli explained that the move is in line with its strategy of reinforcement on markets with strong growth in high-end, high margin segments. In this case this is likely to mean the sale of winter tyres.
Earlier this year Point S appointed Dean Dyoss as network development manager. The move was the first of a run investments Point S has begun making into its UK chain and its investment in people. Just over a year since John Cowderoy joined the growing independent retail chain as managing director, he began making strategic appointments designed to help the network flourish in the years to come.
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