In August 2021, the people behind Blackcircles ZA announced that the company would tap into “the enormous growth of e-commerce in the country” by launching Blackcircles.co.za in South Africa. Four months later at the end of 2021, the site went live.
A new partnership with DriverReviews gives Hankook Tyre UK a means of supplementing its consumer-facing website with user reviews. The fruits of integrating the DriverReviews platform can already be seen on Hankook’s UK site, and the tyre maker plans to roll out the concept in further markets next year.
Michelin has added the last 60 per cent of leading French tyre e-tailer Allopneus to the 40 per cent stake the leading tyremaker bought in 2015. Michelin now “intends to develop its knowledge of customer behaviour and the purchasing process and thus continue to offer the best possible experience, from online information seeking, right up to tyre fitting”, company representatives wrote in a statement dated 25 August.
In addition to reporting strong first quarter 2020 sales growth, Tirescanner reports that it has added more locations, and has added three new senior figures to its ranks. Graeme Bissett, previously chairman at TireScanner founder Mike Welch’s previous tyre business Blackcircles.com for 12 years, will advise the board on governance, finance and strategic matters.
Tirescanner, the US-based tyre e-commerce, has announced sales and customer growth of 400 per cent in the quarter covering January, February and March 2020. April and May have continued the same trend with the company predicting another record quarter.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA), which lobbies for tyre safety in the USA, has announced the nominations for the 2019 Board of Directors. Four individuals will be elected to serve on the TIA Board for a three-year term. The voting period will end on Sunday 1 September 2019.
Mike Welch, the founder of Blackcircles.com has founded Tirescanner.com, a new online portal designed for North American tyre retailers. Initially investing more than $1million in the venture, Welch claims it will be “North America’s first online portal for brick and mortar tyre retailers.” Welch sold UK “click and fit” tyre retailer, Blackcircles to Michelin three years ago, and will bring his online experience to the world’s largest tyre retail market in the US, where replacement tyre sales reached $39.6 billion in 2017. Earlier in 2018, Welch became strategic adviser and shareholder of Indian e-commerce venture Tyremarket.com, while he joined the board of US player Simpletire.com in 2017, prior to US distributor Dealer Tires, itself currently in the process of being acquired by Bain Capital, making an investment in the company this year.
As reported at the start of the month, an eBay tyre fitting service is now available in the UK in partnership with Blackcircles.com. The service was launched at the time of the year when the days grow shorter and motorists should prepare their vehicles, particularly their tyres, for winter roads. Kevin Steward, head of sales, Vehicle Parts & Accessories, UK Trading at eBay, has written the following tips for tyre sellers hoping to capitalise on this season’s winter tyre market.
The tyre fitting partnership between eBay and Blackcircles.com trialled in 2016 is back. Promoted as a “fitting option for seamless tyre buying experience,” the new arrangement allows for the fitment of more than 10,000 unique tyre products purchased via the ebay.co.uk site at one of more than Blackcircles 1,200 partner locations throughout the country.
As Tyre Safety Month 2017 comes to a close, TyreSafe has announced that the UK’s largest online tyre retailer, Blackcircles.com, has added its official support to the charity’s campaign to raise awareness of the importance of regular tyre maintenance checks.
Mike Welch’s global aspirations for Blackcircles.com pre-date the Scottish company’s acquisition by Michelin, however the tyre maker has provided a platform for expansion, and over the coming year Blackcircles will work towards establishing a presence on the other side of the world. Speaking with The Scotsman, the founder and chief executive officer shared that consumers in Asia Pacific will soon get to know the Blackcircles way of buying tyres.
Blackcircles.com, the UK’s leading online tyre retailer, reported a steep increase in sales from new customers during June. According to the company, this includes 80 per cent who have never previously bought tyres online. The metrics indicate that tyre retailing, which has traditionally lagged online adoption in other sectors like banking and travel, is going through something of a transformation.
Mike Welch, the founder and CEO of Blackcircles.com and long-time supporter of adoption and fostering charities in Scotland and the UK is to receive the OBE.
Named in the Queen’s new year’s honours list, which was published on 30 December, Welch has been given the OBE for ”services to business and voluntary service to adoption and fostering”.
Allopneus; Michelin