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News from the tyre wholesale sector

Tag Archive for: wholesale

NTDA: Tyre Shortages Mean Price Rises

The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and its wholesale arm, the Tyre Wholesalers Group (TWG) have warned that "substantial" price rises are imminent. The core raw material price increase reasons for the shortage are nothing new, but the fact that a number of tyre manufacturers closed factories in recent years means there is now insufficient capacity to make up the shortfalls. In addition the fact that last winter was particularly severe across much of northern Europe led to unprecedented demand for winter tyres. With this year's winter selling season due to begin shortly, manufacturers are replenishing stocks of winter tyres in preparation.

8th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Kings Road Tyres Takes Opportunity to Promote Kingstone Brand

UK wholesaler Kings Road Tyres told Tyres & Accessories its presence at Reifen was an opportunity “to sell the Kings Road Tyres brand” at its stand next to one of Hall 2’s entrances alongside other major European tyre distributors. Purchasing and marketing manager Tim Bader said the show offered a “great opportunity for promoting our private brand Kingstone into Europe”.

7th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Gripen UK’s First Half 2010 Sales Equal Full Year 2009 Total

Fresh from exhibiting at the Hillhead show in Buxton in June, Gripen Wheels UK director Ray Coulson has reported that the company’s rapid growth is continuing in 2010 despite the fallout of the recent recessionary period. According to Coulson, sales for the first six months of 2010 grew fast enough to equal the full year sales total the firm accrued in 2009. While your first instinct might be to suggest that such growth must have come from a low base in preceding years, when you consider that the firm has been operating in the UK for less than three years and that the whole tyre business has faced significant challenges during this period, it would be churlish not to take notice of the rate of the company’s expansion.

Asked what’s behind the recent impressive growth at Gripen, Coulson explained in a recent interview with Tyres & Accessories that increased take up of new accounts and improved product mix were at the root of the strong sales performance. Prior to 2010, Gripen UK’s was largely reliant on sales of imported budget brands in relatively small (as far as OTR products go) sizes. This year has seen the company source and deliver a complete collection of premium brand products and adjust its offering to include the larger (and more valuable) sizes of OTR product in addition to the budget and smaller sized tyres it has always sold. Together these two factors mean that, before the seventh month of 2010 is concluded, sales are already ahead of the company’s full-year 2009 result.

6th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Wholesale Stalwart Dick Anderson Retires

After some 46 years in the industry, well known tyre industry veteran Dick Anderson retired from wholesaler RH Claydon on 30 June. Having started as a youngster in the industry with North British Tyre & Rubber (latter to become Uniroyal Tyres) in Edinburgh in 1964, Anderson says that he has enjoyed his time “in a fascinating and now complex industry” and seen the many changes over the years.

5th July 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Micheldever Orders 25 More Trailers

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.

10th June 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists and Ride-On Form Strategic Alliance

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.”

2nd June 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Tyres’ European Launch

Apollo Tyres has officially launched its namesake brand in the European market, and announced plans to bring its Vredestein brand to its home country. The launch came just ahead of this week’s Reifen Essen, where Apollo is holding its first major display. Apollo said it plans to offers its flagship brand in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK this year, and will open new European markets in coming years. "Our current range, catering to the small and mid-size segment, will meet the growing demand in Europe. We will be available only at established retailers. We will not walk the wholesale route," Apollo managing director Neeraj Kanwar said.

1st June 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Grouptyre’s Continental World Cup Promotion Entering Final Stretch

As tyrepress.com reported back in April, Grouptyre has been running a promotion alongside World Cup sponsor Continental; the wholesale group says that it has “seen a huge response” to the promotion, which boasts a first prize of a Sony 46” full HD LCD TV complete with Home Cinema system. Runners up will receive smaller Sony LCD TVs, or Continental World Cup goodie bags containing an Official World Cup replica match ball, a FIFA World Cup branded polo shirt and rucksack. Time is now tight for retailers to enter at the Grouptyre’s website, as the competition closes on 31 May.

20th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Report: Micheldever For Sale For £115 million

Micheldever Tyres Services could be for sale for around £115 million, according to a report in Crain’s Manchester Business. This is nearly half the £200 million figure initially associated with the company when press reports about such a move surfaced in the national press in mid-April.

As of 31 December 2009 Micheldever owners Graphite Enterprise Trust (through investment managers Graphite Capital Management) held total assets of £344.6 million of which its investment portfolio accounted for 67.1 per cent (£231.2 million) and cash and near cash accounted for the balance of £113.4 million. According to company documents, Graphite Enterprise’s Micheldever investment is its number one holding, representing the largest single chunk of its investment portfolio in 2009 (5.3 per cent).

14th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Axle Group See Profits Double on Flat Sales

Axle Group Holdings Ltd, which owns National Tyres and Autocare, has reported that profits nearly doubled to £5.8 million in the financial year to 31 December 2009, despite turnover remaining flat at £153.1 million. The latest accounts to be filed show that much of the company’s improved profitability came through £3.6 million worth of cuts in “administrative expenses” to £53.6 million, while distribution costs fell £400,000 to £6 million in the year. However, according to reports in Crain’s Manchester Business, a 106-person drop in staff count to 1,238 during the year, reduced the wage bill by £2 million to £26 million. However, in addition to reduced head count there is also evidence of thriftiness in the boardroom. The accounts, which inlcude the Viking tyre wholesale subsidiary, show the company's highest paid director, which Crain’s speculates is Revie, earned £763,907, roughly a third of the £2.1 million the company’s highest paid director received the previous year. Total boardroom pay for the four directors fell sharply as well, down £2.65 million to £1.4 million from £4.05 million the year before. The company's net asset value reportedly rose to £55 million, from £49 million the previous year.

14th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Check Internet Links Warns NTDA

Used properly, the Internet can be a powerful and valuable marketing tool. Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, it can be used to adversely affect your business. It recently came to the attention of the NTDA that a wholesaler of tyres on the Internet had downloaded details of all NTDA members and, customers who logged on to certain retailers' websites were being diverted to the wholesaler's site.

It may sound a trivial offence, but it is one which is being taken increasingly seriously by courts. Indeed, in a recent case, a disgruntled estate agent purchased the ".com" version of his former employers' domain name (the employers were using the ".co.uk" address) and visitors to the site were diverted to a hardcore porn site. The case went to court and the employee was found guilty of passing off and copyright infringement and had to pay costs of £15,000.

In this instance, the NTDA warned members that this was happening and e-mailed the following letter to members:

11th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Stapletons ‘Continues to Flourish’

Stapleton’s Tyre Services reports that over the past 12 months the company has “continued to flourish.” The wholesaler, which occupies a leading position in the UK market, has more than 70 years experience in passenger car tyre distribution. It distributes to both the specialist tyre retail trade and the car dealership sector. Stocking tyres from all major manufacturers, including Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli, Stapletons offer a full range of tyres from budget to premium, including exclusive and private brands: Nexen, Primewell, Capitol, Prestivo and Matador. Primewell, produced by Giti -the largest tyremaker in China, is the latest addition to the company’s range.

10th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Micheldever Opens Middlesex Logistics Centre

Micheldever Tyres Services (MTS) has opened a new distribution centre in Middlesex, North West London. The new site situated in Greenford, Middlesex, will have a storage capacity of over 100,000 tyres, which will according to the company “carry a huge range of patterns and sizes of tyres in all brands to ensure maximum possible availability for the increasingly important same day delivery service.”

MTS wholesale director Alan Baldwin described the opening of the company’s latest warehouse as “Micheldever’s greatest leap forward in customer service since we opened our Halifax warehouse,” adding:

10th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

BKT Appoints Kirkby Tyres as Official Distributor

After many years of association with the Alliance and Double Coin brands, Kirkby Tyres reports that the company is “delighted to welcome BKT into the family for OE and aftermarket replacement.” With the head office on a five acre site next to John Lennon airport in Liverpool, offices in Scotland, Ireland and China, the 62 year old Kirkby Tyres recently embarked on an expansion programme. As a result the company has undergone recruitment and organisational changes in several all areas, from marketing to technical support.

One such appointment is that of Ilan Goldstone who has taken on the role of Alliance and Double Coin brand manager. A BSc Hons management graduate, he reportedly has extensive experience in the automotive industry. “As a company I believe we are in one of the best positions in the market. With Alliance gradually moving production to India it’s exciting times, the range will be bigger and better and of course, even more competitive.”

4th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

NDI to Launch New Nordexx Private Brand

Leading Danish tyre wholesale operation, Nordisk Daek Import A-S (NDI), has announced plans to launch a new private brand called Nordexx at the Reifen 2010 exhibition. Talking to Tyres & Accessories, NDI export manager Carsten Andersen explained that the new product range, which is aimed at the passenger car and van markets, will initially be available in 40 popular 13 to 18-inch summer sizes and 20 more aimed at the winter tyre market.

4th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors