News articles on the tyre retail business
Easy Tyres & Autocentres, the largest of HiQ’s franchisees, has invested £40,000 on extensive refurbishments to its Peterborough and Stratford branches. The stores, based in Bourges Boulevard and Western Road respectively, have seen considerable increases in footfall, according to Easy managing director Chris Kisby, having implemented HiQ’s network-wide strategies for improving the retail environment.
Following much discussions amongst trade bodies and within the industry, exhaust manufacturer Klarius has added its voice to the continuing debate about the government MOT frequency change proposals. “Is this move really aimed at helping motorists or deflecting anger at artificially high fuel prices being used to prop up government spending in other areas?”, the company asked in a statement.
With the process for the NTDA 2011 Tyre & Fast-Fit Awards (TAFF) Awards is well under way, the names of the finalists can now be revealed. NTDA members were invited to submit nominations in the five categories of the awards and the most popular companies go forward to the final voting stage. The short-listed finalists, by category (* denotes 2010 winners) are:
The Itochu Corporation has sought to re-iterate its position that its Kwik-Fit retail business and its Stapleton’s wholesale operation will be run as “entirely separate entities.” Answering questions raised widely within the market following the appointment of Stapleton’s MD Kenji Murai as Kwik-Fit head, an Itochu representative explained: “Subsequent to the recent departure of Kwik-Fit CEO Ian Fraser, Kenji Murai is temporarily leading both Stapleton’s and Kwik-Fit. This is an interim measure that was forced upon us. We can confirm that the two businesses will continue to be run individually and an announcement regarding the organisational structures of both companies will be made within the coming few weeks.”
In an article published July 7, Bloomberg Business reports that Continental Tire the Americas spends around 15 per cent of its annual marketing budget influencing a group that holds significant clout with US consumers – tyre salespeople. Every year Conti invests around US$1 million inviting some 950 tyre salespeople to its proving ground in Uvalde, Texas in order to familiarise them with the company’s product and give them a good time into the bargain. And the tyre maker says these events pay off.
HiQ’s promise that all of its 700 fast fit technicians would automotive technician accreditation by the end of 2012 has reached the first milestone on its way to fulfilment as HiQ Tamworth technician Craig Cowell became the network’s 50th to achieve the goal. The fast fit network believes the voluntary ATA accreditation is an “effective way of driving personal standards across the network,” with the external assessment making external the network’s internal training policy.
The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) has added a new retail-orientated award to its Tyre & Fast-Fit (TAFF) line up. The awards are given in a number of categories (tyre manufacturer, wholesaler, and environmental award to name but three) but 2011 brings with it the introduction of "tyre centre of the year". Retailers will be able to put forward a tyre or fast-fit depot for consideration and those nominated will be subject to a 'mystery shopping' exercise and rated on their performance.
National Tyres reports that it has added 10 branches to its network this month as part of the company’s expansion strategy. According to National Tyres and Autocare, the 10 new branches are a group acquisition from Broadway Retail Ltd.
“This is a very exciting development for National Tyres and Autocare,” said chairman Alan Revie: “It is a testament to the strength and professionalism of our business that we are able to expand at a time when so many retailers are contracting. It also represents a significant acceleration of our growth plans, having already added eight new branches to our network in the last 12 months alone.”
In Japan, as elsewhere, the internet is growing in influence as a source of information for tyre purchasers. According to the according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2011 Japan Winter Tire Retailer Satisfaction Index Study, the percentage of Japanese consumers who say they rely on information from the internet while shopping for winter tyres has increased to 29 per cent in 2011, up seven percentage points from 2010, while the percentage of customers who say they purchased their winter tyres through the internet or mail order has increased to from nine per cent in 2010 to 13 per cent this year.
As the July issue of Tyres & Accessories went to press, Kwik Fit Group announced the arrival of Stapleton's boss Kenji Murai as its new group head. Of course we are all aware of the fact that Itochu now owns both Stapleton’s and Kwik Fit (who could have missed all the coverage reporting the purchase from 2 March onwards?); and it is of course natural that a company will want to have their own people integrated into a business they have purchased (and congratulations and best wishes to the new boss); but there are at least two reasons why this news will raise some eyebrows.
Derbyshire based Eden Tyre Sales (ETS) reports that it has maintained “progressive momentum” during the past 12 months. Commenting on the company's encouraging tyre sales performance, managing director, Matt Eden stated: “Perhaps one of the reasons we have managed to keep on track in terms of sales and growth is our ongoing and successful business liaison with Team Systems, our IT partners who have provided us with a bespoke and completely customised system for many years now.”
Following a successful Tyrexpo Asia earlier this year, Zafco, the Dubai based tyre distributor of tyres, batteries and lubricants, opted for a second high profile exhibition stand at Automechanika Middle East. Tyres & Accessories was on-hand in Dubai to find out more.
Itochu has just announced that it has officially completed the acquisition of the Kwik Fit Group for £637 million. While details of the purchase have been in the press and a popular part of market discussion for some time, up till now the deal had been subject to regulatory approval. However, with the issue of today’s statement Itochu can now say it has officially purchased the UK’s market leading automotive repair company from PAI Partners, which had owned the group since August 2005. The business received EC approval for the purchase back in May.
May's edition of Tyres & Accessories featured special reports on Retail/Buying Groups; Industrial Tyres and Van Tyres. Subscribers can view this in our online virtual e-paper format by clicking more.
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Industry observers are calling the European Union’s tyre labelling legislation, due to come into force on 1 November 2012, one of the biggest changes in the tyre industry for 50 years. Summing up the effect of the change on the consumer, vice president of Goodyear Dunlop EU Consumer Business Unit Mark Brickhill told Tyres & Accessories last year: “for the first time the industry is going to be required to give the consumer clear information in a standard set of KPIs [key performance indicators] from a standard set of tests, and something that is very complex – and sometimes confusing – for the consumer is going to be hugely enlightened.” Yet few tyre retailers have had much to say on the subject so far.
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