News from the tyre wholesale sector
Bad news for hauliers, as the price of diesel has hit a record high having rocketed by 10 pence per litre (ppl) in just 12 months – an inflation-busting 7 per cent rise – reports RMI Petrol.
The increase leaves diesel at 143.05 pence per litre (ppl), a level that could derail Government plans to curb inflation, is a disaster for motorists, and puts the livelihoods of hundreds of fuel retailers at further risk says RMI Petrol Chairman Brian Madderson.
Westlake Tyres has signed a contract with Grupo Driver España, the tyre shop and automotive maintenance garage network, to sell and distribute its truck and bus tyres through its Spanish network. Eskay Tyres – part of the Al Dobowi Group and distributor of the brand in Spain – penned the deal, which will commence in February 2012. Grupo Driver España is 51 per cent owned by Pirelli, the remainder belongs to dealer partners. It announced the Westlake tyre deal during its Annual Partners Convention which this year was held in Seville. Miguel Delgado, Grupo Driver’s General Director, said that the deal struck with Westlake “is not exclusive and we will start receiving our first shipment of tyres in early February.”
The Netherlands’ new internet-based tyre wholesaler, Rogo Tyre has launched its website, promising to deliver luxury, 4×4, van and motorcycle tyres “to garages, car dealers, tyre- fitters and wholesalers in the Netherlands and beyond”. The company will offer a stockholding of “more than 1.2 million tyres” from its webshop, including many world-leading brands and offering 24 or 48 hour delivery times.
The Japanese trading company behind both Kwik-Fit and Stapleton’s here in the UK (Itochu) sold Reifen Gundlach (Raubach) to Dutch group Pon effective 1 January 2012. In a news article published at reifenpresse.de last month, Gundlach CEO Gebhard Jansen confirmed the news to Tyres & Accessories' sister magazine Neue Reifenzeitung by phone. No further details of the transaction have yet been made public.
Micheldever Tyre Services distributed in excess of 800,000 4×4 tyres in the UK tyre market in 2011, especially through its Southam division which has a history specialising in the 4×4 sector. According to the company, this makes Southam “probably the largest distributor of 4×4 tyres in Europe.”
Looking forward into 2012, company representatives warn that major changes face the 4×4 market, particularly in the off-road sector, where traditional all-terrain and mud-terrain patterns are being forced to change in the face of increasingly tough noise regulations. And with tyre labelling being rolled out from June this year, followed by mandatory implementation in November before the rules are upgrade a few years later, this trend is set to continue.
With current trading partnerships in over 30 countries around the world, Telford-based Treadsetters has established a niche for itself as an international business service provider and wholesaler of tyres and steel wheels. The company bases its success on establishing strong, long-term business partnerships with manufacturers and customers, relationships that extend beyond the sale and include the provision of technical support and advice through the entire life of the tyre.
Stapleton’s head of marketing and range planning, Stephen Childs says the company’s latest NTDA TAFF Awards Tyre Wholesaler of the Year award – its second in as many years – and its leading position in UK tyre wholesale can be explained by the company’s “working for the customer” philosophy: “We’re keenly aware that it’s tough out there for our retail customers – and that’s why we’re working harder than ever to gear up our service to meet their needs quickly and accurately.”
Federal and Goodride tyre brands are available exclusively through independent tyre wholesaler, Grouptyre in the UK, and the distributor provides full ranges of both to light commercial vehicle operators. Taiwan-manufactured Federal tyres offer three major models designed to cover the everyday workload of most light commercial drivers.
Denmark’s Nordisk Dæk Import A/S (NDI), developer and manufacturer of the AP Wheels range, has appointed a new exclusive Australian distributor for its AP+ Dual wheels line-up. As of January 2012 Armstrong Tyres has taken on this role; the company, which is based in the state of Victoria, has been active in the agricultural sector for more than 65 years and supplies tyre and wheel combination for a variety of farm-related applications.
Cam Systems has entered into a preferred partnership agreement with Leeds-based software provider panintelligence to offer its customers the opportunity to integrate state-of-the-art dashboard tools into the new wholesale, retail or commercial application platforms developed by the software provider based upon Microsoft’s SQL Server. The new offering will enable business owners to view and monitor the status of their operations at a glance from one central console to enhance their sales profitability, reduce their costs and operational risks and ultimately, to take quick, corrective action if required.
Although Heuver Tyrewholesale is based in the Netherlands, the company’s gaze is firmly eastwards towards its neighbour. Director Bertus Heuver has described Germany as the wholesaler’s “home market” and stated that the company’s drive in 2012 is to increase its activities in German-speaking markets. As part of this, Heuver has appointed a new account manager for northern Germany; Tobias Heyne has taken on the role, and Heuver says that Heyne’s presence will enable its existing account managers to further increase their focus upon their respective regions.
Online tyre dealer Delticom reports that 2011 was “again a successful year.” The German-based company’s preliminary figures for the recently concluded financial year show a 14.4 per cent increase in revenues, to 380.0 million. During the 12 month period EBIT grew 9.6 per cent to 52.2 million and earnings per share were up 8.4 per cent to 2.99 euros.
After 40 years in business, fast growing UK and international wholesaler Bond International recorded sales over £100 million for the first time in 2011. The news marks something of a milestone for company founder Reg Bond, who had set his sights on breaking through this particular glass ceiling.
UK agricultural tyre distributor, Unity Tyre says it has placed Czech brand Mitas “at the centre” of its business, having built a close and long-standing relationship with the company. Unity says it is the leading distributor of the brand into the UK, achieved by building upon the ever-increasing OEM demand for Mitas tyres and by stocking a truly in-depth range of tyres to satisfy the replacement market. Unity says it has been highly successful in establishing the Mitas tyre with farmers and agricultural contractors as the tyre of choice for keeping their valuable machines running.
Major agricultural tyre supplier to the UK market, Kings Road Tyres boasts a £5 million inventory of agricultural tyres, making it the country’s foremost trade supplier for this specialist sector, according to KRT. The wholesaler is the official wholesale distributor for major manufacturers Michelin, Firestone, Trelleborg and Goodyear as well as being the exclusive UK wholesaler of both the Taurus and Jetire brands, and its private brand range of Kingstone brand tubes. In addition the line-up has recently been further extended by the addition of Kleber in 2011.
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.
