Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) reports that it is continuing to invest in e-commerce solutions that benefit their tyre retailer network, with its dedicated tyre selling website, TyreClick, providing a “key platform for online success”. MTS investments include development of the TyreClick site and investment in third-party expertise, such as Strategic Q, to help enhance Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Micheldever Tyre Services and Giti Tire gave UK GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC) dealers the opportunity to test the brand’s latest tyres to the limit during their recent Ride and Drive event in Portimão, Portugal. Held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit at the start of September, dealers were able to drive on the celebrated race track on the GT Radial SportActive 2 ultra-high performance tyre, as well as testing the handling and off-road capabilities respectively of the brand’s FE2 and Savero SUV.
Falken’s latest cold weather tyre offering is set to make its UK market debut this winter in September. Two specifications will be available: the Eurowinter HS02 and HS02 Pro. Both tyres represent the next generation of Falken’s cold-weather range. They offer significant improvements over their predecessor, the HS01, according to the manufacturer.
Following the return of the in-person day conference on 7 July, TyreSafe announced the winners of the 2022 TyreSafe Awards during the evening’s awards dinner. The awards are TyreSafe’s leading event of the year and highlight “the outstanding work that goes on across the UK to educate the driving public about tyre safety”. After a two-year hiatus, TyreSafe representatives say they were “delighted to once again be able to unite leading names in road safety and tyre safety champions, to celebrate the achievements of our award nominees”.
Tradition-rich tyre brand with an American heritage, General Tire is extending its range of tyres suitable for light commercial on and off-road use. Vans are used in a variety of scenarios and terrains, General says, which is why it is important to choose the right tyre for the job. Leading the brand’s range for this segment in the newly introduced size 235/65R16C 121/119R Grabber AT3, which it calls “the first true all-terrain tyre available for vans.” General Tire 4×4 tyres are available exclusively through Micheldever Tyre Services in the UK.
Giti Tire has added 28 new sizes to its GT Radial SportActive 2 ultra-high performance tyre range. Fitting rims sized between 16 and 21 inches, the tyre is now available in 42 fitments for cars and SUVs. Some SUV sizes carry a specific SUV marking on their sidewall to indicate their suitability for this fitment, Giti adds. While the eponymous Giti brand is growing in European markets, GT Radial continues to be the manufacturer’s most important brand in the UK, receiving substantial backing from exclusive distributer Micheldever Tyre Services. The latest support for its flagship car tyre product was announced from Stand B030-C039 in Hall 7 at The Tire Cologne, Koelnmesse, which continues until 26 May.
Following Micheldever Tyres Services (MTS) establishment of Micheldever Fleet Solution fleet tyre operation a year ago, the company has developed both the depth and scale of its fleet tyre offering. One example of the practical application of MFS’s offering can be found in Auto Windscreen fleet. Shaun Atton, Auto Windscreens’ Head of Fleet and Facilities. Atton, who manages Auto Windscreens’ 354-strong fleet of vehicles across 64 UK sites, shared how the fleet support services provided by MFS work to bring “peace of mind” to the business:
While Continental’s General Tire brand may be best known for its off-road and all-terrain products, General Tire offers a wide range of road tyres. The Grabber GT Plus is the latest tyre to join the General Tire line-up. Replacing the Grabber GT, the Grabber GT Plus offers “a marked improvement in performance in all areas including economy and safety”, according to its manufacturer. Specifically, this means a 12 per cent reduction in rolling resistance and a five per cent improvement in mileage along with “enhanced wet-weather performance”.
Falken Tyre Europe will increase the prices of its entire product portfolio by nine per cent on 1 May 2022. Falken states the increase reflects global rises in costs for raw materials, energy, and logistics. This price rise does not affect UK Falken customers, where the brand is distributed exclusively by Micheldever Tyre Services. Like Falken, MTS is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries. A Falken spokesperson told Tyrepress that MTS would inform its customers of any price rise affecting the UK.
Although Michelin is withdrawing its Kormoran brand from several European markets next year, sales of Kormoran tyres will continue in the UK.
With multiple sources suggesting that the online tyre business broke new ground during 2020, but with data illustrating that trend less easy to come by, Tyres & Accessories caught up with Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) wholesale director Graham Mitchell in order to get a leading tyre wholesaler’s perspective. Starting by setting the company’s recent online tyre business performance into the context of its recent history, our interview looks to the future of the online tyre business and touches on the importance of search engine marketing in the tyre trade.
Falken Tire Europe GmbH has now announced in a letter to its business partners that it is implementing new price lists effective 1 January 2022 for both the Falken brand and for Sumitomo tyres. The price increases are considerable and extend well into the double-digit range. At the same time, the manufacturer is revising down certain price adjustments announced in September for the new year. However, both sets of price increases are limited to the German-speaking markets with Falken/Sumitomo Rubber representatives confirming to Tyres & Accessories that the price increases do not apply in the UK.
The complexity of the UK tyre wholesale sector has certainly ramped up considerably thanks to what may be termed an almost perfect storm of external factors relating both to the Covid pandemic and Brexit. With retail margins on consumer tyres already very fine, the wholesale sector has been key in keeping price increases under control, especially considering the spiralling cost of shipping. But as those in the sector know, the value wholesalers add within the distribution chain is a considerably wider subject than purely price. Arguably, the service dimension has never been more important than in the last 18 months, as retail businesses adapted to a market transformed by externalities. Tyres & Accessories asked Graham Mitchell, Micheldever Tyre Services wholesale director, about how the business is faring in 2021, starting with its performance this year.
80 guests became the first European customers to test drive the new GT Radial SportActive 2 and FE2 at GT Radial’s first Mira Drive and Ride event for almost two years. Potential new dealers, supported by select GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC) owners, got back on track under Covid secure conditions over two days, during which GT Radial’s exclusive UK distributor over the last decade, Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS), presented the brand’s product portfolio. All attendees were invited to experience high speed circuits in the new BMW 5 Series of Giti Tire’s country manager – UK, Brian McDermott who put his own car on the redline.
Micheldever Tyre Services has almost doubled its sales of BFGoodrich tyres since becoming the brand’s official 4×4 wholesaler in the UK at the start of 2020. The agreement sees the Winchester-based business – which has established a wholesale distribution network of 15 sites around the country, supplying more than 6,000 retailers nationwide – stock a large selection of BFGoodrich’s All Terrain T/A KO2 and Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 ranges, helping to ensure excellent product availability throughout the year.
MTS
Giti Tire
Falken
Bridgestone
General Tire
Giti Tire
Auto Windscreens
General Tire/Continental
Falken
Micheldever Tyre Services