Tag: ETEL
Kwik Fit offering ‘Mobile7’ mobile tyre fitting nationwide
Kwik Fit has “significantly expanded” its ‘Mobile7’ mobile tyre fitting operation and is executing plans for “further development in 2019 and beyond”. Kwik Fit launched ‘Mobile7’ inside the M25 in 2016 and has subsequently expanded the service into other regions across the UK. According to the company, ‘Mobile7’ is Kwik Fit’s response to delivering both increased tyre replacement capacity and flexibility. Kwik Fit ‘Mobile7’ runs in addition to the company’s 600-odd bricks and mortar retail units.
ETEL continues to lead top 20 UK tyre retailers 2019
After years of expansion amongst the top 20 UK tyre retailers, the latest data shows that this trend peaked in 2017/2018 when the top 20 accounted for 2014 branches. The same 20 tyre retailers had 1980 branches between them in 2018/2019. And what’s more, the reorganisation of one retailer alone accounted for a 40-centre decline in branch count, with the overall figure remaining positive due to growth at other chains. Here Tyres & Accessories analyses the branch count data in the context of 10 years of comparable research.
Shinjiro Tanaka takes over as ETEL CEO
European Tyre Enterprise Ltd (ETEL), which includes Kwik Fit GB and Stapleton’s Tyre Services, has announced that Shinjiro Tanaka will replace current Group CEO Yasuyuki Harada, who is returning to Japan.
Micheldever/Protyre moves up to fourth, Lodge Tyres jumps in retail rankings
In last year’s ranking of the top tyre retailers in the UK, Tyres & Accessories predicted that the pace of change in the top 20 chains by branch count would result in some jostling for position. This has proved entirely accurate, as two major acquisitions have brought two of 2017’s top 20 into the fold of higher ranked companies, leading to both Micheldever/Protyre, leapfrogging HiQ into fourth place as predicted last year, and Lodge Tyre, into the top 10 from joint-14th last year, making significant jumps in this year’s table. Most other retailers have held relatively stable positions in terms of the number of stores, while our most recent additions to the table, Eden Tyres (15 stores) and Elite Garages (13) were identified as narrowly missing out on places last year.
ETEL announces senior promotions, new management team
Leading UK tyre group, European Tyre Enterprise Ltd (ETEL), has announced a series of promotions within its senior management, including the appointment of a new CEO following Kenji Murai’s promotion to a global position with parent company, Itochu.
Tyre Industry Awards a ‘resounding endorsement’ of ETEL training programmes
Following three 2017 Tyre Industry Awards, European Tyre Enterprises Limited (ETEL) said its success in three separate personnel focused awards categories proved the quality of its staff development initiatives. The company prevailed in the Staff Training and Development Initiative Award with Kwik-Fit, while members of staff won National Apprentice Tyre Technician of the Year (Kimberley Locker, STS Tyre Pro) and REACT Roadside Technician of the Year award (Adam Grimley, Central Tyre (Commercial), who shared the award with Tomasz Woiciechowski of Tyre Maintenance).
Protyre is fastest growing UK retail chain for 2nd straight year
The 2017 edition of Tyres & Accessories’ annual retail report shows that the overall number of branches controlled by the top 20 retail chains continues to grow. However, that is just part of the story and the data shows that there have actually been significant movements in every tier of the top 20. Perhaps the clearest observation is that Micheldever’s Protyre retail chain is once again the fastest growing in the UK – a title it claims in 2017 for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Goodyear’s HiQ franchise network is the top 20’s fastest faller – something that suggests the first changes in the make-up of the top five since we started tracking the UK retail landscape could take place before the year is out.
Steve Parker leaving ETEL
European Tyre Enterprises Ltd (ETEL) CIO and commercial director, Steve Parker is to leave the company. Parker, who has been with the business for over 30 years (first at Stapleton’s and latterly at ETEL), is taking a break from the industry to “spend time with his family and pursue other interests”.
Micheldever’s Protyre retail chain is UK’s fastest growing
This year’s UK tyre retail ranking shows that the fastest growing tyre retailer is Micheldever’s Protyre chain, which added some 21 branches to its network in the last year – by far the fastest growth (both in terms of branch count and growth percentage) of any tyre retailer we are tracking. Nevertheless, ETEL remains the largest overall and is also the fastest faller, with the company running 9 points of sale less than in our 2014/2015 research. However, context makes a big difference, so for more on both these stories, read on.
Kwik Fit expanding into Italy, across Europe
The Kwik Fit Group has agreed a partnership deal that sees the Kwik Fit tyre retail and fast-fit brand expand into Italy. Under the terms of the agreement, 200 centres are set to open over the next decade. The expansion is based on a franchise agreement with CDG-ONE, part of Segema S.p.A., a leading tyre distribution group in Italy. Segema imports and distributes Yokohama tyres in Italy through Yokohama Italia S.p.A. and GiTi Tyres through Magri Gomme S.p.A.
Central Tyre branch wins Pirelli Performance Centre of the year
Central Tyre, Chester has been names as the 2015/16 Pirelli Performance Centre of the year. Each year Pirelli awards one of its 107 Performance Centres with the PPC of the year title. To determine the winner 11 top performing PPCs had a video mystery shop exercise, scored by an independent assessor. Central Tyre, Chester achieved a near perfect score and were therefore recognised with the award.
Tyre retail market in a redistribution phase
While many of the names of the top 20 tyre retail chains will be familiar, the last year has seen the continuation of a number of so-called right-sizing and redistribution trends, especially at the bottom end of the top 15 between places (positions 11 – 15). At the same time, one or two medium sized retailers have grown significantly since the last survey, resulting in greater influence from this part of the market. At the same time as this, the total number of branches controlled by the top 20 chains continues to grow – pushing the balance of power further in the direction of those retail multiples.
UK tyre retailers continue right-sizing
Continued branch attrition at some of Britain’s largest tyre retail chains means the line between the top five and the rest of the top 10 has continued to blur. Furthermore, we now have three 50+ branch retail chains outside the top four (which are all 100+) for the first time since Tyres & Accessories started tracking this data five years ago.
Stapleton’s marks 75th anniversary
75 years after the company’s foundation, Stapleton’s, its suppliers and its partners are all celebrating three quarters of a century in business. It’s hard to imagine what Sidney Stapleton would make of the company that bears his name 75 years on from the September day in 1937 when he first incorporated the firm and opened his premises at 195 High Street, Watford. By the end of the Second World War in 1945, the company had not only survived but expanded with the opening of a new depot in nearby Hitchin – a move that brought the weekly wage bill to a total of £20.