The Reifen 2010 show in Essen, Germany is only three months’ away, and Netherland based wholesaler Van den Ban Autobanden B.V. has announced it will display numerous new products at its 120 square metre two-storey exhibition space (stand 118, hall 2). Amongst the additions to the Van den Ban portfolio to be highlighted at the exhibition are the latest sizes in its Novex and Blackstone private brands.
Belgian wholesaler Deldo Autobanden is one of the largest operators in Europe, and amongst the more than 25 brands stocked at the company’s 60,000 square metre warehouse in Antwerp are four exclusive and two private brands – Fortuna and Minerva. The labels are aimed at the budget segment, an area where Deldo reports seeing significant growth during the last 12 months. In an interview with Tyres & Accessories, Deldo marketing manager Rutger Veerman stated the company has “noticed a growing demand in the European replacement market. Acceptance of Chinese products is growing, and we are benefitting from this.”
When Tyres & Accessories last visited Van den Ban Autobanden in April 2008, the company’s new warehouse facility was arising from a 24.000 square metre greenfield site on outskirts of the Dutch town of Hellevoetsluis. Even then the scale of the project, intended to consolidate the wholesaler’s two storage facilities into a single location, was evident. A key component of the project remained under wraps at this time, however, and therefore a second visit to the completed warehouse was necessary. What T&A saw upon its return to Van den Ban in Hellevoetsluis early in 2010 was impressive, to say the least.
Stapleton’s Tyre Services, one of the largest distributors of passenger car tyres in the UK, reports offering one of the largest selections of private and exclusive brands out of any distributor, and furthermore says it has a product suitable for every retailer and in every price bracket. The company recently added two new exclusive brands – Matador, a mid-range brand produced by Continental, and Primewell, manufactured by GiTi. Stapleton’s is also backing both up with dealer support packages to reward valued loyalty.
Classic car tyre provider, North Hants Tyres says that the past year has yielded a rise in classic radial sizes such as 125×15, 145×15 and 165×15 as the major manufacturers ceased their production. The small niche market for specialist tyres has, according to the company, seen little fluctuation and, in spite of undoubtedly difficult market conditions, there has been an increase in sales over the past year.
Sentaida International has opened its new tyre plant, Cenchelyn Tire Co. in Qindao, China. The building of the “state of the art” plant was reported on Tyrepress.com when it was two-thirds of the way through its development in September last year.
The marketer said the new plant features “state-of-the-art machinery from Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands.” Sentaida said that in 2010 the plant’s production capacity will increase to 6 million tyres with a focus on the 17- to 30-inch UHP segment. Company sources suggested last year that the total production would touch 10 million units in 2013.
The manufacturer concluded that as a result of the new facility, it will offer the Delinte UHP brand exclusively throughout the US, and offer customers the opportunity to create their own personal private brands. (Tire Review/Akron)
Deldo reported having a good Autopromotec with a lot of international visitors to their stand. “Our Italian team were kept extremely busy dealing with enquiries from perspective new and existing customers,” said the company’s marketing manager, Rutger Veerman.
“Up to now this year for Deldo has not seen the dramatic sales decline that was predicted by many due to weakening of the global economy,” continued Veerman. “In fact, our tyre sales have been reasonably good and there is even a slight improvement over the first months of the previous year. So, we would have to say that we are reasonably satisfied compared to what is happening with the automotive market generally. One obvious result of the international fiscal situation is the increasing demand for budget tyres.”
In addition to its premium labels, Deldo offers an attractive package of private brands Minerva and Fortuna and exclusive labels Wanli, Roadstone, Sailun and Rockstone. Each tyre program presents its own specific characteristics and size range which equates to total sales of over 3 million budget tyres annually. With a large sourcing network, daily communication with its many partners and the continuous development of its product portfolio Deldo holds a unique position in the European market. “Important assets for an independent wholesaler are client oriented service, continuous stock and supply, attractive pricing and just-in-time distribution,” said Veerman.
“In these hard times we are very happy that…” – So begins the organiser’s summary of Tyrexpo Asia, which during its seventh running attracted 2,985 visitors (a decrease of 5 per cent on the last time) and 135 exhibitors (an increase of 8 per cent) within an exhibition space unchanged from 2007. While these figures highlight how the exhibition developed, they only show a single snapshot. The sense of increased hesitation to spend money on travelling to and exhibiting at a show was in line with what one would expect in the current market situation. But what bare numbers do not depict is ‘visitor quality’, something that both the organiser and exhibitors noted to be “superior to very good.” Furthermore, Tyrexpo Asia also provided an ideal platform for tyre wholesalers and their suppliers.
In addition to all the latest news and analysis, April's issue of Tyres & Accesories contains features on Private Brands and Wheel Alignment, as well as our annual in-depth Wheel Report.
Tyre wholesaler BITS ships its private brands Regal – manufactured in South Africa by Dunlop Tyres at its plants in Durban and Ladysmith – and Roadstone – made in Korea by the Nexen Tyre Corporation – from the company’s seven depots across the UK. Each brand contains a wide range of patterns for a number of applications: Regal has a UHP product, a TR-rated passenger tyre and a van tyre, while the Roadstone range features many off-road options, in addition to its road-going tyres.
Dunlop Tyres in South Africa, manufacturer of the Regal brand, is part of the Apollo Group, the Indian Manufacturer. BITS says that the whole range meets the E-Marking, DOT and INMETRO ratings. The flagship of the range is the Premium Comfort, which aims for quiet performance alongside superior handling. The Regal stable also includes a van tyre manufactured with a “Shield” breaker, which provides improved puncture resistance and offers long tread life. The range is completed by the RST 220 manufactured in TR rating and offering excellent wet and dry handling and long mileage. Regal can be ordered exclusively from the sole UK distributor, BITS.
DM Marketing LLC is an international tyre trading firm operated by UHP and private brand tyre trade specialist Don Mathis. Mathis has been active in the UHP segment of the market since 1976, when he was with Pirelli for the introduction of the original P7. From late 1979 until today he has dealt internationally, specializing in the UHP business. During a nine-year term with ZT Wholesale, he built the Wanli brand in the USA to over 550,000 annual UHP unit sales.
Mathis also has extensive experience when it comes to doing business in the Far East. Three years ago, he was the only American displaying at CITExpo, and is well known with most major European dealers. Recently serving as the general manager for the US operation of Sentaida International, Mathis established and built the Lexani and Diamondback tyre brands in the US and around the world. Today he is still working with the Diamondback brand to further develop the product line and establish global distribution. According to company literature, DM Marketing will continue to specialize in UHP for major brands, but also offers PCR, TBR and S/T trailer tyres. “We will soon offer new private brands in both UHP and PCR for exclusive worldwide distribution,” Mathis told Tyres & Accessories.
In 2005 Point S operated in nine different European countries. Four years later it is almost double that. Currently the group consists of 1700 tyre outlets, run by 1000 different owners, commanding a 6 per cent retail market share in both the passenger car and truck tyre segments across Europe. Since the first Point S was opened in 1971, the network has used the same business model in every country its has grown into – allowing independent tyre entrepreneurs to control their business while allowing everyone to benefit from the strong brand and economies of scale that come with a large group.
However, the group’s private brand strategy is also a key part of the company’s business and by the time Point S development announced that the France-based international tyre retail group had expanded into Bulgaria (its 17th country) in January 2009, this part of the business had become an exemplary model in the tyre market. Tyres & Accessories recently interviewed Point S Development’s international operations director, Fabien Bouquet, and found out why private brands are so important.
As one of the largest distributors of passenger car tyres in the UK, Stapleton’s claims to be “leading the way” when it comes to private brands. The company offers a range of private and exclusive brands and offers dealer support packages that reward customer loyalty.
Prestivo, Stapleton’s own brand range of tyres, is positioned as a quality mid-range tyre and. According to company representatives, new sizes and tread patterns are scheduled for release later in the year. The range is available exclusively to members of Stapleton’s Prestivo Partners scheme, which offers dealer support including: exclusivity, attractive rebates, branded clothing, not to mention posters, POS material and other branded support items.
Private Business
The opportunity to exclusively offer a range of tyres is very attractive, and gives a business a point of difference between it and the competitor around the corner. The UK is reported to have one of the most active private brand markets in the world, with new labels regularly added to the healthy range currently available. A good private brand in the portfolio can make noticeable difference to a company’s sales figures – just one reason to include April’s Private Brands feature on your monthly must-read list.
At the Centre of Things
It takes more than a tyre to make a wheel, and without that metal bit in the middle we’d be left with a rubber circle flopping about on the road. Thank goodness then for rims, the oft-overlooked partner to the tyre. The April edition of Tyres & Accessories puts the centre part of the wheel on centre stage: See next month’s Wheel Report for the latest product and industry news.
No Deviation Allowed
If you’ve ever strayed from the straight and narrow, gone off the beaten track or exhibited divergent characteristics, don’t spend too much time in soul searching – it was probably just your vehicle’s wheel alignment. While the Department for Transport attributes only around 4 per cent of MOT failures to steering defects, undetected wheel alignment issues are much more frequent and are a key cause of premature tyre wear. Next month’s Wheel Alignment feature will help you stay trim and true with all things alignment-related.
One of Europe’s leading distributors of winter tyres, Belgian wholesaler Deldo is offering a catalogue of 25 brands, detailing its complete product range of premium and private labels. The company already delivers to around 10,000 clients throughout Europe, and will this winter hope to increase that number by offering what the company calls an “interesting mix” in its budget label line-up.
Thanks to experience gained over many years importing tyres from Asia, Deldo is able to offer several attractive product lines. Minerva is a long-established brand name, and was introduced in 1992 as a private label. From this year Minerva is being produced by two new manufacturers, offering approximately 15 new sizes. With Rockstone (Deldo’s new exclusive brand for Europe) the budget segment has been further extended. Thanks to the introduction of the new CP-661 Roadstone (Nexen) pattern, 15 new sizes have been added to Nexen’s (already) large size range.
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