Paul Harrell, the MD of Dunlop-owned retail chain Motorway, has been appointed General Manager, Retail operations UK by the Goodyear group. In his new role he will be responsible for the operations of both Motorway and Goodyear’s Hi-Q retail chain.
In the UK, the National Tyre Distributors Association and the Tyre Industry Council have given their backing to InterTyre. InterTyre is a trade exhibition, organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which will run in conjunction with the European Automotive Trade Show at the end of April next year. The Tyre Industry Council is also a sponsor of Tyrexpo Europe, the rival exhibition which will take place six weeks earlier.
Michelin is to lose 473 jobs from its workforce of 2,700 at its factory in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK, mostly among those producing passenger car tyres. This is part of Michelin’s overall European strategy to improve efficiency. Michelin sees a long-term future for Stoke and this year will invest £11 million in updating the factory, which was opened in 1927.
Ford has announced that car production will end at its Dagenham plant by 2002, with the loss of 1,900 jobs. Dagenham is Ford’s largest UK factory, where the Fiesta and Courier vans are built. Ford also announced that 500 new jobs would be created at Dagenham over an unspecified period in the engine manufacturing operations.
When Continental bought the UK retail chain National Tyre Service a decade ago, the company regarded its equity as a way of gaining a foothold in the market and increasing its market share. To put it simply, National was merely a vehicle for moving tyres. In the last few years, the German parent has realised the strategic importance and benefits of having its own chain and has re-thought its attitude. National turns over £150 m annually and it is no secret that the company has been making a loss over recent years but this, says Chief Executive Adrian Dunleavy, is due to change within the next five years, with the aim being profit and a sustainable market share. In an exclusive interview with TYRES & ACCESSORIES, Dunleavy discusses the details of the plan and the investment promised by Continental. He also gives frank answers to the critics of National’s “two tyres for the price of one” offer, who regard this as being responsible for today’s price cutting. And how does he respond to the widespread condemnation of the National Motor Dealer offer, which was designed to encourage motor dealers into the tyre business? The five-year plan requires time and investment and Continental have granted both. Dunleavy accepts that the pressure is on him to deliver results within the designated time frame.
Nissan has chosen Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tyres for the limited edition (200 for sale in the UK only) R34 version of its Skyline GTR. The Skyline was the first production car to lap the 14-mile Nurburgring circuit in under eight minutes. Bridgestone has also been chosen as exclusive OE for the six-litre Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupe and Vantage Volante cars. The tyre in question is the Bridgestone S-02.
Michelin has won a five-year contract to supply trailer tyres to Transamerica Trailer Leasing (TTL) across Europe. TTL is Europe’s second-largest trailer leasing company, operating more than 21,000 trailers. The company is based in Barking, in the UK and has offices across Europe. It is owned by a Dutch bank. Michelin tyres will be specified as exclusive OE fitment on new trailers, while Michelin new and Remix tyres are being fitted to the fleet. No details of the value of the contract have been revealed, but TTL currently spends more than US$5 million on tyres annually.
Administrative Receivers have been appointed to Finelist plc and its trading subsidiaries, which includes Motorworld. Finelist produces motor components and has a turnover of 500 million Pounds. The company employs almost 5,500 people in 600 UK locations. The receivers hope to sell the business as a going concern.
On 11th November, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) announced a new tyre exhibition for the UK. The show (as yet unnamed) will run alongside the Automotive Trade Show at Birmingham’s NEC between 29th April and 2nd May, 2001. The SMMT says that it makes good business sense for tyres to be a part of an aftermarket exhibition.
Avon Rubber has blamed falling car production in the UK for a 40% drop in annual profits to £3.3 million. Direct sales of automotive and technical products to Ford and Rover fell £7.6 million to £27.1 million. Shares fell 12.5p to 455p.
One of the UK’s leading tyre wholesalers, R. H. Claydon Ltd, suffered minimal fire damage at the end of last week at their Stockport, Cheshire warehouse. The fire started in an adjoining building belonging to another company and spread to the warehouse, but no stock was damaged and the sales division continues to operate normally.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
