News articles on the tyre retail business
Fast-Fit Tyres branch manager Darren Freeman, of Salhouse Road, Norwich, attended Ascot after winning a nationwide promotion run by Cooper Tires. Freeman’s branch was entered into the free draw along with all of the other Cooper Tires participating dealers, including the rest of the Fast-Fit chain.
Bridgestone has announced that motorist Vicky Saaiman is the winner of a pair of VIP tickets to this year’s British Grand Prix. Saaiman entered the prize draw as part of Bridgestone’s One Campaign at her local National Tyres and Autocare dealer for a new set of Bridgestone tyres. Vicky’s prize package includes entrance to the Grand Prix itself, a tour of the paddock and the opportunity to meet an F1 team on the day.
Michelin has announced a new promotion for motorcyclists buying and fitting a pair of Michelin Power Pure or Pilot Road 2 motorcycle tyres. Between 1 June and 31 July, purchasers of these tyres will receive £20 of fuel vouchers from selected dealers throughout June and in all dealers throughout July.
Retail franchise network HiQ is using its marketing capabilities on a national level to emphasise “local service” this year, and one franchisee is using a poster campaign featuring staff working in his four Cornwall HiQ fast fit centres. Justin Roberton is unveiling posters advertising his stores in Truro, Bodmin, Helston and St Austell courtesy of the new marketing materials, which places his staff at the heart of his business.
A glance at any UK national newspaper’s society pages this week will tell you that Royal Ascot is upon us. Amongst the glamour of the zany hats and figure-hugging dresses will be Ivybridge motorist Julia Bertram, who will attend Ladies’ Day this Thursday (June 17), thanks to the Cooper tyres she bought from distributor, Victor Barry Tyres.
Garages and tyre dealers are being warned that they could face significant fines or custodial sentences if they fail to recycle the used tyres they collect correctly. Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) made the warning following the recent prosecution of nine individuals who were fined nearly £75,000 for illegally dumping rubbish which included used tyres.
The HiQ network has announced the recruitment of Stuart Carr, who has been appointed as a new fast fit manager. Carr comes from IN’n’OUT Services, where he worked as an operations project manager for three years. His immediate goal will be to increase sales opportunities for franchisees in their servicing, mechanical, and repair offerings, says HiQ.
Halfords Group Plc has reported preliminary full year 2010 results (April to April) showing sales of £831.6 million, up 4.6 per cent on 2009 and up 0.7 per cent like-for-like. The company’s gross margin grew to 54.4 per cent, while operating profit shot up 17.5 per cent to £119.7 million, representing 14.4 per cent of sales (2009: 12.8%).
The acquisition and “successful integration of Nationwide Autocentres” – four of the network’s branches are already said to have converted their livery – were clearly important parts of the company’s strong results. David Wild, Chief Executive, commented: “Halfords has had an excellent year…Sales growth in core areas, margin expansion and disciplined cost control has led to the delivery of 25 per cent earnings growth…In addition we made our first acquisition, Nationwide Autocentres, which represents a natural extension of Halfords service proposition in the car aftermarket and is already making a good contribution to the Group.”
Having already taken delivery of 16 new trailers this year – 15 sliding bogie skelletals and one box van – trailer supplier Montracon reports that Micheldever Tyre Services has ordered a further 25 more stepframe curtainsiders. Prior to last year the firm only bought used trailers. According to Montracon, that policy changed a year ago and now the company uses a mix of replacements and additions. The curtainsiders are progressively going to work, distributing tyres to the firm’s 12 wholesale warehouses and 49 Protyre retail sites across the UK and will move over six million tyres a year.
The Guardian has published comments made by the eleven participants in a roundtable discussion about the new European tyre labelling system, which will be introduced in November 2012. Operating the Chatham House rule (attributing no comments to those who made them), the discussion was split into the categories of what information the labels will contain – the tyre’s fuel efficiency, wet grip characteristics and road noise – and what the current labels do not contain – specifically the make and model of the tyre graded and the lifecycle of the tyre; both features that similar labels in the USA do contain.
During June, Sheffield-based tyre distributor Hawleys Tyres is celebrating its centenary. Seven months after Pirelli, in association with Tyres & Accessories, recognised the firm as the nation’s longest established tyre dealership, Hawleys reports that it is celebrating “selling and repairing tyres longer than any other family-owned company in Britain.”
On 6 May Tyre retailers, fleet operators and consumer organisations took part in a panel discussion on the subject of tyre labelling organised by The Guardian in association with Michelin. The event, which took place at the Aviator hotel in Farnborough, was hosted by and was chaired by the newspaper’s executive environment editor Joe Confino.
According to the resulting report, which is scheduled for publication in the Society supplement of tomorrow’s newspaper, the discussion covered various aspects of the forthcoming EU legislation concerning tyre labelling, which Michelin says it “wholeheartedly supports”. Topics included the likely effects on the tyre retail industry, both in-store and on the internet, and fleet operations. Previous experience of this type of labelling was brought to the table by David Evans of consumer organisation Which? and this centred around the similar labels found on white goods and its effect on consumer behaviour.
Kwik-Fit is has announced plans to invest over £100,000 in installing computer training stations to support staff in their learning and development programmes at branches across Scotland. The investment comes as the company begins a recruitment drive, looking to take on up to 100 new staff in Scotland. 40 of these are expected to be employed in Glasgow and this week Kwik-Fit will be holding an open day at the Fielden Street centre for those interested in learning more.
Paul Boulton, operations director at Kwik-Fit, who originally joined the company as a fitter, said: “The skills of our staff are the most important factor in our commitment to first class customer service. The new training centres are just one way in which we ensure our employees can fulfil their true potential within Kwik-Fit. Our staff have the opportunity to rise all the way to the top of the business, and the fact that the management team includes people who started as apprentices is testament to that fact.”
Bridgestone is rewarding dealers in its First Stop network with a unique driving experience. Throughout the second quarter of this year, the top-performing dealers will have the chance to win a Silverstone driving day this October. There are 12 days up for grabs: half going to dealers with multiple locations and half going to single locations. Points will be awarded for the number of Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton tyres each dealer purchases, and they’ll receive regular updates to see if they’re racing ahead of the pack.
Dan Woodward, First Stop retail marketing analyst said: “We want to motivate First Stop staff with the best rewards possible. This is a fantastic opportunity to take some of the world’s highest performing cars around a legendary circuit.” The First Stop winners will be able to choose from a selection of highly desirable cars; such as the Lotus Exige S, the Ferrari 360 F1 Modena and the Caterham 7. In addition, the range features a number of cars that are new at Silverstone for 2010; including the Audi R8 and TT, plus the Porsche GT2 and GT3.
In the US Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists, Inc. (AWRS), the world’s largest mobile wheel repair company, and Inovex Industries, Inc, the manufacturer of a high-speed tyre sealant, Ride-On Tire Protection System, have announced their strategic alliance giving AWRS the exclusive rights to introduce Ride-On into the automotive dealership market place. The company will also distribute to the retail tyre, quick lube, and mass merchandiser market segments.
“The automotive retail market place represents an enormous opportunity for sales growth,” says Mark Farkhan, CEO of Inovex, “and due to the vast nature of this marketplace and the resources required to penetrate it, we decided that it was in the best interest of our company to form a strategic alliance with another company that already has sales, marketing, and distribution channels established. We are extremely excited that we were able to form a partnership with a company as committed to providing quality service and cutting edge technology as AWRS to help expand Ride-On’s reach into this $2.4 billion dollar market segment.”
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