Tag: Tyre retail
HiQ: 47% of centres achieve Gold Standard
Via its Standards Programme, HiQ Tyres and Autocare aims to drive a high level of attention to detail in every aspect of the fast fit and automotive business. In order to verify the standards achieved by its franchisees, the fast-fit network audits all centres and awards top performers accordingly. This year, HiQ has awarded Gold Standards Awards to 47 per cent of its franchise centres throughout the UK.
Michelin Exelagri dealer hat-trick for Soltyre
Soltyre has gained Michelin’s agricultural seal of approval for its new Airdrie dealership, marking a major achievement for the tyre specialist with all three branches now members of the pan-European Michelin Exelagri network.
Michelin Auto Professional UK dealers offered customer service guidance
Michelin Auto Professional (MAP) UK dealers have been told improving the overall experience of their customers is more important than ever, in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Business owners and senior managers from 16 independent dealer groups attended the annual MAP conference in Chichester, for a briefing on a new package of benefits being rolled out to members of Michelin’s advocate dealer programme.
Michelin launches bespoke training offer to support dealer partners
Huw Lewis Tyres has become the first Michelin Auto Professional (MAP) dealer to benefit from bespoke new training. Michelin is delivering custom on-site coaching in a ‘real-world’ environment to help advocate dealers enhance customer offer and boost sales. The new training is available to the MAP network in the UK and Ireland during 2019, with the local Michelin territory business manager working closely with owners to focus training where it can have the biggest impact.
YourMechanic adds Goodyear.com to online tyre service directory
In the US, the YourMechanic interactive platform that delivers mobile repair, maintenance, inspection and reconditioning services directly to millions of consumer, mobility and fleet clients has added goodyear.com to its offering.
ATS Euromaster appoints operations director to lead light vehicle focus
ATS Euromaster has Mark Lynch appointed as a new operations director to drive the company’s development in the light vehicle market, following the decision in October 2018 to merge its heavy vehicle business with Tructyre.
Kwik Fit reaches 44 branches in Italy
After opening its 40th centre in 2018, Kwik-Fit has announced that it now has 44 centres running under the Kwik Fit brand in Italy, exceeding growth forecasts. The company broke through the 10 branch barrier in October 2017. The long-term goal is to reach 200 centres.
Tyreteam invests in CAM’s fitter-force tablet technology
South-east UK tyre service provider, Tyreteam has invested in systems supplier CAM’s technology for the first time with its new fitter-force digital tablet technology. The new system is designed to remove back office costs and inaccuracies associated with the manual completion of service work. CAM adds that fitter-force will enable the supplier of commercial, passenger van and industrial to improve its customer service through operational responsiveness.
Goodyear acquires HiQ network south-east tyre retailer Weeting Tyres
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK has acquired Weeting Tyres, a leading tyre retail company based in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, UK. The company operates four branches as a franchisee in Goodyear's HiQ autocare network - in Bury St Edmunds, Chelmsford, Ipswich & Kings Lynn - as well as one independent branch in Brandon, Suffolk, which also functions as its head office. The area served by the latter branch is described as having a high value car parc. All sites will become Goodyear’s equity operating under the HiQ brand following the completion of the acquisition.
MOT test demand set to spike in 2019
The combination of increasing demand for MOTs and stricter test criteria look likely to create a boom in demand at garages and for tyres in particular. After years of post-financial crisis scrappage schemes and investment, the UK car industry got used to boom times and consecutive year-on-year growth.
Falken specialist Walsall Wood Tyre & Service promotes tyre safety
Walsall Wood Tyre & Service, a Falken Tyre specialist based on Hall Lane Industrial Estate, Walsall, held a tyre safety check in December at The Fairlawns Hotel and Spa, in Aldridge, for all staff and patrons. The event at the award-winning independent hotel was the first in a series of safety initiatives within Walsall Wood’s local community.
Pirelli opens fourth branch of P Zero World tyre boutique concept in Dubai
Pirelli has opened a fourth branch of its tyre boutique retail concept P Zero World on a third continent. The store follows previous openings in Los Angeles, Munich and Monte-Carlo. More than 60 supercars belonging to local collectors formed a parade through the city to mark the Dubai opening. The following day more than 200 cars took to the track at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi for the P Zero Experience: Pirelli’s track day event.
Motokiki tyre price comparison site launches
A new online tyre price comparison service has launched, aiming to provide UK motorists with an online tool to choose their tyres quickly and easily, and bringing together products from a wide variety of retail businesses. Motokiki’s comparison engine is designed to offer an impartial whole of market price comparison of tyres from a broad range of suppliers, as well as tyre label result comparison, and the location in which they can be fitted. The company initially comprises 20 staff in offices a short walk from Port Talbot railway station, working on the technical development and marketing of the website, with other aspects of the business outsourced to teams around the country, such as its London-based communications agency, FWD Consulting. Tyres & Accessories travelled to south Wales in late November to attend the launch, with Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”) and the Development Bank of Wales, which have collectively made an equity investment of £3 million in the company, also represented.
Michelin rejuvenates retail programme
In May Tyres & Accessories reported that Andy Aylward had been appointed as Michelin’s retail programme manager for the UK and Ireland. In this role, the 30-year Michelin veteran is responsible for overseeing the company’s network of over 80 accredited car and motorcycle Michelin Certified Centres, which is now known as the Michelin Automotive Programme. Since then, there has positive feedback from the car tyre retail sign and a number of initiatives have been kick started in the two-wheel as well as car tyre side of things. At the end of November Tyres & Accessories met up with Aylward in order to find out more.
Do markets dream of electric cars?
Phillip K Dick may well have been thinking far further into the future than the current popularisation of electric cars when he wrote his famous novella “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, however the rise of big data alongside electric and autonomous vehicles means the most advanced cars of today have an increasing amount in common with the artificial intelligence in the source material for the film Blade Runner.
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