News articles on the tyre retail business
(Akron/Tire Review) Consumer Reports magazine has rated Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Assurance TripleTred as best overall in tests of 18 different all-season tyres. The testing was done for the magazine’s annual tyre roundup in its November issue.
Traditionally Dutch wholesalers can be among the most important business contacts tyre dealers can have. Their reliable feel for trade business is almost expected in Europe, and company news is often news of expansion. This also applies to Tyre Trading International BV (TTI). The Dutch wholesaler based in Numansdorp (south of Rotterdam) is currently building a new on-site warehouse, which will eventually increase TTI’s capacity from 40,000 to 70,000 units. Talking to Tyres & Accessories, owner Peter van’t Hof and his son Dr Peter-Alexander van’t Hof explained the reasons for this expensive step.
“I would like to get rid of the expression ‘controlled distribution’,” one contributor told Tyres & Accessories. And this is because along with this term come some ominous implications – that manufacturers can purposefully steer purchasers towards their own products. Of course, this is said to take place most naturally in a manufacturer owned equity like Michelin’s ATS Euromaster, for example.
However, the concept of ‘controlled distribution’ covers a whole spectrum of different scenarios. These range from the obvious – manufacturer owned entities – to the more subtle influence manufacturers can exert over completely independent wholesalers and dealers. It is seldom as straightforward as one person controlling and another being controlled. ‘Controlled distribution’ does not only refer to the role played out by manufacturer equities alone, but also to a wide spectrum of influence extending as far as the independent wholesaler.
Interstate Europe’s product portfolio will soon feature two new tyre brands. As commercial director Theo de Vries explains during an interview with Tyres & Accessories, the wholesaler is entering the truck tyre business with a new brand called “Navitrac.” Furthermore, Interstate Europe is hoping to make an impact on Europe’s exclusive brand market with the launch of the “Sceptor” passenger car tyre line. However, exactly when these two brands will be available in the UK and on the European market is not clear. The names of the exclusive distributors that will take on the new tyres in each of Europe’s national markets are similarly undefined.
Sumitomo Corp, the third-largest trading house in Japan, said it has reached an agreement to acquire US automobile tyre retailer TBC Corp this year for some 120 billion yen (£600 million). Sumitomo said it will complete the acquisition at the end of December. The acquisition is intended to solidify Sumitomo’s existing tyre business and increase profits by expanding into tyre retailing, the company said in a statement. The Japanese company plans to expand its tyre business in the U.S. by adding TBC’s more than 1,000 retail stores to its Treadways Corp. wholesaling business.
Michelin has appointed Cape Town based Stingray as official licensee in Southern Africa to distribute its stylish new range of high-performance automotive accessories.
The new products have been created to the highest technical specification, combining innovative features with ease of use and stylish design.
Stapletons Tyre Services has expanded its commercial and agricultural tyre operation with the appointment of a new regional manager. Steve Giles, 48 joins Stapletons as the new commercial and agricultural regional manager. Giles worked as general manager at Uttoxeter-based Olympic Tyres for nine years. Steve’s wealth of industry experience is further enhanced from his 16-year tenure at JCB.
Continental is celebrating the 2006 World Cup with the launch of a special tyre. In the run-up to world’s most prestigious footballing event (from 2006) the ContiChampionContact will be available from tyre dealers. Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Blatter and Brazil’s legendary Pele will all be using it when they come Germany for the FIFA World Cup 2006, as the tyre will also be fitted to all VIP vehicles and shuttles.
Whether you like it or not, the world is turning more and more into a technological marketplace. And all aspects of business are being affected, including the tyre trade. Here Tyres & Accessories looks at two of the Internet’s best-known names, and asks how their businesses might affect yours.
According to the Office of National Statistics, by the end of 2004, 52 per cent of households in the UK had access to the Internet at home. And by the end of 2005, 99.6 per cent of the UK will have access to broadband if they want it. Furthermore, the Internet was the fastest growing retail sector last year, attracting one in four shoppers.
Stapletons Tyre Services has officially appointed a new head of marketing. Andrew Long, 39, joins Stapletons from Winsor and Newton, the market leading art materials brand, where he was marketing director. Prior to that Andrew worked in the white goods sector and also in office products.
Mr Long’s remit encompasses implementing a strategic marketing and communications approach throughout all of Stapletons’ business channels, including retail, wholesale, dealership and commercial & agricultural.
Speaking of his appointment, Mr Long said: “This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to utilise over 17 years of marketing experience in a variety of industries to focus on a strategic marketing approach for Stapletons.”
International Automotive Distributors Limited (IAD) has acquired the ADS business unit of Unipart Automotive.
Trading as Maccess, the company currently has 14 locations across the UK and will gain a further five sites from ADS. This coordination of resources has been done to improve product availability and offer, as well as delivery service levels to customers of both businesses.
Group Tyre UK member Broadway Tyres has just completed and commissioned a new 16,000 sq. ft. warehouse, adjoining the High Wycombe administration and distribution centre.
The warehouse is designed to receive bulk container deliveries and is capable of handling up to 25,000 tyres. It increases Broadway’s capacity by 35 per cent and customers should experience even better levels of service, according to managing director Jonathan West, who said: “This is a major investment which will ensure that we can provide an in-depth service with immediate turnaround to our distribution partners, retail stockists and the many motor dealers, whose tyre needs we manage.”
Dick Johnson, chief executive of Goodyear Dunlop, has been confirmed as the guest speaker at the NTDA’s Tyre Wholesalers annual lunch in November.
The annual meeting will again be held at the Raven Hotel in Droitwich on 23rd November. It will be attended by over 100 members of the Wholesalers Group, tyre manufacturers, retail chain management and the officers of the NTDA.
(Akron/Tire Review) While rescue efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the US’s Gulf Coast near New Orleans and Biloxi, Missouri, Monday, government officials and business analysts are trying to piece together the impact that devastating storm will have on American industry and the global market – particularly oil prices.
According to Group Tyre, Maxxis is fast becoming one of the most highly regarded ‘premium budget’ brands in the UK. Chairman, John Church, commented on the development: “In the last two years, we have invested major resources in developing the Maxxis brand in the passenger car, 4 X 4 and light truck sectors, promoting its quality and value-per-mile attributes, which have clearly resonated with trade and retail customers alike. These initiatives have assisted in creating a firm foundation of distribution outlets, for the brand in the UK, and we can confirm that the initiatives will continue, as we look forward to further developing the Maxxis brand.”
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