Tag: Germany
MWheels promotes Mardle to CEO
MWheels has promoted Matthew Mardle to chief executive officer (CEO), a role in which he takes responsibility for financial results and all day-to-day operations of the business. John Ellis, who originally founded the business over 30 year ago, takes the role of chairman, having been chief executive, and continues to be involved in the company’s leadership function.
Build-up for The Tire Cologne 2020 begins
Despite being just seven months since the premiere of The Tire Cologne, Koelnmesse and the BRV are already working on the next edition, which will take place in June 2020.
Alcar MD Norbert Frohner departs
Alcar managing director has left the company in order to “continue his career in another industry”. According to a joint letter signed by Frohner and Alcar CEO Dr Alexander Riklin, the company “sincerely regret his decision and would like to thank him for his commitment and loyalty during his 25 years long work for Alcar.”
FinTyre buys RS Exclusiv Reifengrosshandel and TyreXpert Reifen + Autoservice
European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) has signed a binding agreement to acquire two key players in the German tyre market: RS Exclusiv Reifengrosshandel GmbH and TyreXpert Reifen + Autoservice GmbH. As a result of the acquisition EfTD now has a total turnover of 740 million euros in Germany and project annual unit sales of 8.5 million tyres.
Doublestar car tyres on-sale in Carrefour Spain
Doublestar Tyres, the new majority shareholder of Kumho, recently announced that its tyres are on-sale alongside premium brands at Carrefour supermarkets in Spain. According to Doublestar, which compared Carrefour founded in 1959 to Walmart in the USA, the supermarket chain is Europe's favourite. Having pioneered the so-called hypermarket approach in Europe Carrefour has developed into the largest retailer in Europe and the second largest international retail chain group in the world, with business scope covering more than 40 countries and regions. Carrefour owns 17 large chain stores in Spain, which covers the Iberian area and radiates to the whole pan-European region. With an annual population of 400 million, Carrefour is a perfect channel for product sales and a perfect platform for brand exposure.
Fintyre to open London head office
The last couple of years have been something of a whirlwind for the European Fintyre Distribution project, which has seen the business grow from a key player in the Italian market into a wider European operation with aspirations of being the leading force in pan-European tyre distribution and perhaps even beyond. Tyres & Accessories recently met with European Fintyre chief executive officer Mauro Pessi in order find out more about the company’s decision to base its central headquarters in London as well as its general, ongoing growth.
Pon selling tyre wholesale business – new owner for GAC
Netherlands-based transportation sector firm Pon Holdings announced yesterday its intention to divest Gundlach Automotive Corporation (GAC) at the end of this year to private equity investor Gilde Buy Out Partners. The business will thereafter operate as an independent company.
B2C tyre business: Pneo throws its hat into the ring
Aged just 18, Phil-Kevin Sell founded German online tyre retailer fritzreifen in 2011, and followed this two years later with a mobile tyre fitting service, GoJames. Now, together with GoJames management team members Moritz Kampmann and Sebastian Severin Schulte, Sell has his eyes on a much bigger prize: They aim to establish Europe’s “leading B2C tyre platform.” This B2C platform is called Pneo, and the GoJames team intends to launch it by April 2019.
Michelin names Frankfurt its new ‘Europe North’ hometown
From May 2019, the Michelin Europe North regional operation will find itself at home in new offices in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Its new 6,200 square metre premises is located within ‘The Squaire’, the spacecraft-shaped office building that sits above the intercity railway station at Frankfurt Airport, and can accommodate more than 300 people.
Bridgestone, German workshop chain pitstop strengthen collaboration
Bridgestone has increased its strategic cooperation with the German workshop chain pitstop. As part of a minority stake in Kulas Holding GmbH, which holds 100 per cent in pitstop.de GmbH, Bridgestone and pitstop plan to cooperate closely in sectors of mobility solutions, tyre and workshop services to open new markets. The targeted investment is subject to German antitrust approval.
Interpneu named exclusive Yokohama truck, OTR tyre distributor for Germany
With the signing of a three-year contract, Interpneu has taken on exclusive distribution of Yokohama truck/bus and OTR tyres in Germany. This arrangement takes effect in 2019 and is a further step in an established partnership between the Pneuhage Group wholesale business and Yokohama.
Construction begins on Ronal innovation centre
Work on a new Ronal innovation centre is now under way. Alloy wheel manufacturer the Ronal Group broke ground at the site of its future facility in Forst, Germany in late September, and on 12 October founded Ronal Technologie GmbH, the company that will take responsibility for the centre’s functions.
Coker Tire acquires European distributor
Via its acquisition of German tyre distributor Münchner Oldtimer Reifen GmbH (MOR), the Coker Group expects to gain greater access to the growing European market for vintage and classic tyres. The Holzkirchen, Germany-based firm will continue to be led by managing partner Valentin Schaal, who founded MOR in 1983, and the distributor’s existing management team.
Schaeffler invests 60 million euros in new OE headquarters
Schaeffler is to create 350 new jobs by investing 60 million euros in building its new automotive OEM headquarters, following a global surge in the demand for e-mobility products by vehicle producers.
Brexit OE tyre red-alert
Is Brexit going to wreak havoc on the automotive business or is it all just another millennium bug flash-in-the-pan? If a no-deal withdrawal does spell havoc, is it going to impact the tyre business as much as the OEMs?
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