Three-quarters of garages ignore tyre label
Hot on the heels of Apollo Tyres research showing that up to 45 per cent of consumers buy tyres without knowing their label data, a new survey suggests garages are not engaging consumers with label data.
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Confirmed: Europe to start Chinese-produced car tyre anti-dumping investigation
After the European Commission (EC) published and then withdrew a web page stating that it will initiate an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese-produced car tyres, news of the investigation has now been confirmed by sources in the UK and Europe. In answer to questions from Tyres & Accessories, ITMA chairman Alfred Graham confirmed that “the Chinese Mission in Brussels have been informed by the EU”.
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EU anti-dumping investigation into car tyres set to start, CRIA warns
Over the May bank holiday weekend (2-5 May) many of us were outside enjoying the sunshine. Not so at the European Commission where staff were apparently preparing for the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese-produced passenger car radial tyres known as AD733. However, by the time we at Tyres & Accessories returned to work, all references to AD733 had been removed from the European Commission’s website. Nevertheless, we have seen screenshots of the page in question taken by more than three distinct sources. Cached search results also show pages referring to AD733. T&A contacted five different European Commission (EC) press officers for confirmation of the EC’s position in relation to investigating imports of Chinese-produced car tyres into Europe. At the time of going to press, there had been no comment from the EC.
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45% of drivers buy tyres without knowing their tyre label data
A survey commissioned by Apollo Tyres Ltd has found that nearly half (45%) of motorists are buying replacement tyres without understanding the tyre label. The survey polled 1,000 motorists in the UK and identified that only 16 per cent were informed by their tyre retailer – in-store or online – about the relevance and importance of these ratings during their last purchase. That is the lowest level among the eight European countries surveyed, which had an average of 34 per cent.
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TRA ‘encouraged’ by minister’s commitment to circular economy solution for UK used tyres
Following the Defra Minister Mary Creagh MP’s “robust” statements in answer to questions on used tyre exports and other matter pertaining to tyre recovery in the UK on 29 April, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has responded with cautious optimism. Prompted by the concerning revelations of the BBCs File on 4 documentary, The Tyre Scandal, the debate saw the Minister acknowledge the programme’s “deeply upsetting” findings and pledge a crackdown on “waste cowboys” to “clean up Britain”. Telling the chamber in a Westminster Hall debate that it was time to “close the waste loopholes” the minister said: “We have got to stop outsourcing our waste problems to other countries.” She summed up her position by quoting a song made famous by Elvis Presley: “A little less conversation, a little more action.”
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‘A little less conversation, a little more action’ – UK parliament discusses used tyre exports
The issue of used tyre exports was the subject of a Westminster Hall debate today (29 April) at 11:00. Tessa Munt, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mary Creagh (Labour MP for Coventry East) a series of 13 questions around both the issue and the Environment Agency’s review of the situation, announced by the government in response to increased scrutiny of the sector. This was raised following a BBC documentary, The Tyre Scandal, exposing the damage caused by UK waste tyres being burnt in India, in addition to a legal challenge brought by the campaign group Fighting Dirty on the UK’s failure to prevent the illegal use of ELTs exported to India. The debate, which was welcomed by the Tyre Recovery Association, covered a lot of ground beyond the procedure used for the EA review, taking into account the loss to the UK’s circular economy these waste tyre exports represent as well as the legal and ethical problems associated with the current situation.
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UK parliament to debate UK export of used tyres
The UK parliament will debate the issue of used tyre exports next week (11:00, Tuesday 29 April) in a move welcomed by the Tyre Recovery Association. The case for making used tyres harder to export is strong: in India, the destination for many UK-generated used tyres, they prove to be highly polluted, while the removal of this potentially valuable resource from the national circular economy diminishes energy and material recovery opportunities for UK businesses. The Westminster Hall debate was secured by Tessa Munt, the MP for Wells and Mendip Hills. It comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the sector following the BBCs File on 4 documentary, The Tyre Scandal, which exposed the damage caused by UK waste tyres being burnt in India.
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London tyre fitter banned for 10 years after inflating sales to get Covid bounce-back funds
The owner of a North London tyre shop has been banned as a director for 10 years after overstating his company’s turnover to secure a maximum-value Covid loan. Shkelzen Gashi ran Smart Tyres Services Ltd from his address on Harringay Road from 2015 to 2022.
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Synergy Tyres (Midland) managers ordered to pay £313,382
The Environment Agency has secured a proceeds of crime judgment for £313,382.45 against men from Northampton who ran an illegal waste tyre site. A pair of Northampton men are to pay for their role in an illegal tyre waste site in Daventry. At Northampton crown court on Friday 28 March, a confiscation hearing concluded against Nimesh Patel, aged 52, of Jasper Walk, Thorplands Brook, and Andrew Eyre, aged 55, of Poppyfield Road, Wootton.
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NFDA delivers evidence to Supreme Court in motor finance commission appeal
The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) presented robust evidence to the Supreme Court, in the appeal against the decision on motor finance commission in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Limited, Wrench v FirstRand Bank Limited and Hopcraft v Close Brothers.
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Delun Rubber punished for not handling employee social insurance
In February 2025, tyre manufacturer Delun Rubber was administratively punished by the Dingyuan County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau for not paying social insurance for employees. The fine was about 155,000 yuan (about £16,600; €19,800).
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TRA: UK government procrastinating on ending T8 exemptions
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has warned the British government of the damage being caused to industry and the environment due to “an ongoing lack of action to deliver policy reform”. Recent responses from the DEFRA minister responsible, Mary Creagh MP, are said to highlight the concern of recyclers that government “lack a grip on industry reality”. Specifically, “despite the British government’s stated commitment to bring an end to T8 exemptions there has been no date given to enact the policy, something of increasing concern to industry players as market conditions continue to deteriorate”
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US class action verdict: operating in parallel isn’t necessarily tyre price-fixing
Following the news that the recent class-action price-fixing case against tyre manufacturers has been dismissed, we took a closer look at the Judge’s ruling combining her legal opinion with analysis that we produced based on third-party European data around the time the US suits were brought. In short, we found that Judge’s opinion amounts to the belief that operating in parallel isn’t necessarily tyre price-fixing. And furthermore, our data shows that that broader tyre market prior landscapes somewhat contradict simplistic notions of prices always rising.
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Tyres & Accessories Magazine February 2025 issue available to read or download
In the February 2025 issue, available now for Tyrepress subscribers to read online or download, Tyres & Accessories brings you the latest news from the car and motorcycle tyre segments . This issue also features the breaking stories and analysis of the UK and international tyre business, including Goodyears sale of Dunlop to Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux on an invasion of low-cost car tyres in Europe (as well as an analysis of this to lead the car tyres feature), and the extension of EU tariffs on China-produced truck tyres. Non-subscribers can gain access to Tyrepress with a print or online subscription. Tyre professionals can take advantage of the current Tyrepress Professional Membership offer, helping to drive business online and stay informed with the industry’s leading magazine and websites.
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