Tag: Mike Welch
Tirescanner.com live in 42 US states, multi-million dollar funding close
Less than a year after Tirescanner.com was founded, at the start of November, the business reported that it is live in Florida. This means Tirescanner already covers 1200 postcodes codes, matching consumers with products from a range of hundreds of thousands of tyres and – crucially – connecting them with “the best local retailers”. At the moment this works on a next day install, but the plan is to take this to a same-day level. And more states are said to be coming fast. We’re used to pretty rapid progress when it comes to dotcom start-ups, but such fast growth is more understandable when you consider that Tirescanner is driven by Blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with Welch in order to find out how the company plans to continue and sustain this growth.
Blackcircles founder Welch nominated for TIA board of directors election
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.
Tirescanner.com appoints VP sales
Tirescanner.com has appointed former Jack Williams director of marketing, Scott Friedman as VP of sales. The US online tyre sales portal’s president, and founder of Blackcircles.com in the UK, Mike Welch said: “I am delighted to be able to welcome Scott into the Tirescanner family. It is really important to me that we appoint the very best talent from the tyre industry.”
Blackcircles.com entrepreneur launches online portal for US tyre retailers
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.
Mike Welch launches new property investment fund
Full Circle Partners, the investment advisory firm co-founded by Blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch has launched a new property fund. FCP Property Development Fund will provide loans ranging from £250,000 to £2.5 million. It has reportedly already invested approximately £6 million and could raise that to £20 million in the next year or so.
SimpleTire.com – America’s 2nd largest tyre etailer in just 5 years
Blackcircles.com CEO Mike Welch left the employment of the company he founded in August 2017. Since then he has joined the board of SimpleTire.com, a fast-growing, US-based online tyre business. Meanwhile he also remains a consultant to blackcircles.com. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with the well-known tyre entrepreneur to find out more about his latest venture. SimpleTire.com is the brainchild of brothers Andy and Josh Chalofsky. Andy has been in the tyre business since he was a teenager and started out in the warehouse of his family’s brick and mortar tyre business. From here he worked his way up and took over a subsidiary tyre business after graduating college. In 2012, he started building the foundations of what is now SimpleTire.
Blackcircles founder appointed strategic advisor at US online tyre retailer
Mike Welch, the founder of UK online tyre retail website Blackcircles.com, has been appointed to the board of US online tyre retailer SimpleTire. Welch has taken up the position of strategic advisor for the company, which sources inventory from independent suppliers and ships to the customer’s chosen location.
Blackcircles looking to enter Asia Pacific markets
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.
Mike Welch an honorary doctor of enterprise
Edinburgh Napier University has made Blackcircles founder Mike Welch an honorary doctor of enterprise at a ceremony held in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on 7 July.
Blackcircles founder Mike Welch receives OBE
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”.
Mike Welch on Michelin takeover, Blackcircles’ growth and expectations
With Michelin buying a stake in Allopneus as well as the complete Blackcircles business in the Spring; and with Apollo purchasing Reifen.com in November, it is fair to say we witnessed a trend towards manufacturer investment in online tyre businesses this year. Dig a little deeper and we are beginning to learn more about how tyre manufacturers are approaching this unavoidably important strategic area. With 2015 being something of a landmark year in this respect, Tyres & Accessories met with Blackcircles founder and managing director Mike Welch in Edinburgh to find out more.
Michelin to capitalise on Blackcircles.com, ATS Euromaster ‘synergies’
Michelin chief operating officer, Florent Menegaux told Tyres & Accessories that the manufacturer would promote synergies with ATS Euromaster following its acquisition of Blackcircles.com. Speaking to Tyrepress following the announcement of its £50 million purchase, Michelin’s chief operating officer said that the UK’s biggest online tyre retail operation would gain “access to ATS Euromaster branches in the UK”, which numbered 343 in the recent T&A survey of the retail landscape.
Michelin buys Blackcircles.com for £50 million
Michelin has bought Blackcircles.com, the number one internet tyre sales company in the United Kingdom, for £50 million. Based in Edinburgh, Blackcircles.com generated £28 million in revenue in 2013. Run by Mike Welch, its founder, Blackcircles.com has enjoyed growth of around 20 per cent per annum since 2008. The company reports that the first quarter of 2015 saw the company achieve revenues 34 per cent higher than Q1 2014.
Blackcircles.com launches ‘quality choice’ sales initiative
Blackcircles.com has launched a sales initiative with a lifetime guarantee. The online tyre retailer is offering a range of “Quality Choice” tyres as a step up from its Value Choice range. Like the lower-priced tyre, the Quality Choice does not specify a brand and model, though it does show tyre labelling grades, instead using its own branding on the website’s point of sale. Unlike the Value Choice, Blackcircles.com is offering an added incentive to customers choosing the Quality range; the online retailer will replace the tyre “in the very unlikely event that your tyre develops a fault due to the manufacturing process or materials used.”
Blackcircles on expansion, investment and going international
When Blackcircles.com appointed two new directors in early November, it was about more than simply expanding the range of experience available to the firm. It was also about driving the company’s international expansion plans forward. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with founder and managing director Mike Welch in Edinburgh and found out more about […]