100 new jobs as Jaguar Land Rover chooses Coventry for tech centre investment
Jaguar Land Rover has announced its chosen location for the OEM’s Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre. The Technical Centre will be situated in Prologis Park, Ryton, near Coventry, and will become the global centre of excellence for the creation of high-end luxury bespoke commissions and extreme performance vehicles. Operations are set to begin towards the end of the year, with a team of 150 Jaguar Land Rover specialists based at Ryton, around 100 of which highly-skilled engineering and technician jobs will be new. £20 million will be invested in installing specialist equipment and a customer commissioning suite.
Continue ReadingATS Euromaster implores council to reconsider Altrincham closure decision
A council decision that will force the closure of ATS Euromaster’s Altrincham branch has been described as “madness” by the fast fit network’s group estates manager. The company hopes to convince Trafford Council to either allow the outlet to co-exist alongside the new £70 million development in Oakfield Road, or otherwise invite ATS Euromaster to be a part of the project.
Continue ReadingCharity motorcycle trek on schedule
Two British former soldiers from Birkenhead are well on the way to completing their epic European motorcycle trek in aid of three charities close to their hearts. Harry Glover, 49, and Pete Bray, 58, have completed nearly 5,000 miles of their gruelling 15,000-mile (24,140km) expedition under the code-name ‘Triumph Over Tragedy’, aiming to become the first to reach 26 European Union capital cities on motorbikes.
Continue ReadingTerraClean on Tour Taxi set for unveiling
The TerraClean on Tour initiative to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support is set for the grand unveiling of its Two Ball Banger Rally vehicle this coming Thursday, 14 August 2014.
Continue ReadingLiverpool FC Academy hosts Maxxis dealers
21 Maxxis dealers and their children attended an exclusive event held at the Liverpool FC Academy in July as part of the Maxxis reward programme. The manufacturer said the event was arranged to thank the Maxxis dealers that achieved agreed sales volumes between April and July. Maxxis is the official tyre partner of Liverpool FC.
Continue ReadingSpilsby couple wins Firestone American motorsport adventure
Bridgestone’s mooted rejuvenation of its Firestone brand in Europe is partially focused on its motorsport heritage. One recent Firestone promotion will allow a couple from Toynton, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire, to experience the brand’s US motorsport involvement at first hand, winning a £10,000 Indianapolis 500 motorsport holiday. The sales campaign ran in a number of garages around the country to coincide with the brand’s efforts to reinvigorate itself and become a major force in the UK tyre market once more, Bridgestone stated.
Continue ReadingIMI calls for automotive sector licensing
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is preparing to launch a lobbying campaign when Parliament returns from recess, and will call on MPs to license the automotive retail sector. And what the IMI is calling for is something most of the UK apparently thinks we already have – quoting the results of recent research, the IMI says more than 70 per cent of voters think it’s already a requirement for technicians in the motor industry to hold a licence to practise.
Continue ReadingStapleton’s carrying ‘full’ Maxxis winter stock
Stapleton’s and Maxxis have confirmed that the wholesaler will carry a full stock of the brand’s Presa Snow MAPW and MAW2 winter tyres in a wide range of sizes for passenger cars from 13” to 18”. Both tyres will be available from October.
Continue ReadingNankang to appear at TRAX performance car show
Nankang Tyre UK has confirmed its presence at TRAX on Sunday, 7 September at Silverstone. Expected to host around 18,000 visitors, the “Ultimate Performance Car Event” will showcase performance and modified cars, as well as Time Attack and British Drift Championship rounds, in which Nankang Tyre Drift Team Super Pro drivers will compete. Nankang is […]
Continue ReadingNational Tyres and Autocare is not associated with National Tyres Network
National Tyres and Autocare has issued a statement clarifying that it is not associated with another business operating in the market called “National Tyres Network”. Writing in a statement issued 8 August, the company said: “Axle Group Holdings Limited (which owns National Tyres and Autocare and sister company Viking Wholesale Tyres) works closely with a network of over 3000 independent garages throughout the UK and believe raising awareness of this issue is in the interests of both the industry and our network. Any approach from National Tyres Network Limited is not in any way associated with National Tyre Service Limited or National Tyres and Autocare.”
Continue ReadingNew Goodyear Dunlop consumer tyre director aims to maximise success
At the start of November 2013, Goodyear Dunlop appointed Nick Harley as director Consumer Tyres for Goodyear Dunlop UK and Ireland. At the end of July 2014, Tyres & Accessories caught up with him to hear – nine months in - his reflections on the current state of the tyre market and what he can foresee in the future.
Continue ReadingEuro Car Parts buys 27 Unipart Automotive branches
Euro Car Parts acquired 27 former Unipart Automotive branches yesterday (7 August). Following negotiations with Unipart Automotives’s administrators, Mark Orton, Will Wright and Jonny Marston from KPMG, Euro Car Parts has secures the sites across England, Scotland and Wales, taking the ECP network to 194 branches. At the same time Parts Alliance reported it had taken on over 500 ex-Unipart Automotive works.
Continue ReadingNot-so-happy holidays
The cars on Britains roads are more likely to be filled with raised voices than happy chatter as thousands drive off to their summer holiday. An AA/Populus survey of 23,085 AA Members found that 65 per cent argue in the car.
Continue Reading500+ former Unipart Automotive employees now with Andrew Page, Parts Alliance
When Unipart Automotive went into administration, Andrew Page and The Parts Alliance struck a deal to take over 33 branches, saving around 320 jobs. Since then Euro Car Parts has hired 65 more ex-Unipart staff, while promising another 1,500 jobs to be created in the comig 18 months. According to the latest reports from The Parts Alliance, this number has risen to around 500 ex-employees of Unipart Automotive. And the parts buying and distribution group says that extra jobs are planned for more of the reported 1,244 staff members made redundant by Unipart Automotive’s demise.
Continue ReadingWinter tyre growth in cyclical decline, but UK a market for all seasons
In Tyres & Accessories’ August 2013 Winter Tyre feature, we discussed the UK tyre industry’s continued deliberate steps towards the development of a winter tyre market, and the possibility offered by all-season tyres (which we’ll come to later). While the figures showed that sales of specialised products represent a much greater share of the market than you might have thought in the winter months, the correlative spikes in this figure remain confined to the months in which the weather is coldest. Market analyst GfK’s latest infographic on winter tyres, displayed on this page, goes further towards showing that this trend is prevalent even within the October-January period where winter tyre sales are most popular.
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