Breaking News, Breaking News, Breaking News and Wind In a $49 Gazillion mega-deal, reports say Lancaster PA based K&W Tire Company has entered into a series of agreements to purchase all assets of Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Toyo, Nokian, Pirelli, Hankook, Nexen, Kumho, Yokohama, Falken and Conti. If true, K&W will control the sale and manufacture of nearly all Tier 1,2, and 3 tires in the world. Thus clearing the way for complete (but benevolent) global domination.  Representatives of K&W are refusing comment, but Bob Unrich, former editor of Ancient Tire Dealer magazine has gleaned from his sources that the deal was made possible with financing from a strategic banking partnership with First National Bank of Salunga and Wankers Bank and Trust of Richfield PA. Tire Nunya Business editor Dan Before projects easy regulatory approval, lots of unpacking, and synergies based upon synergies from 30,000 feet drilldowns. Tire Preview’s reporter Michael P. Amsterpants suggests that this historic amalgamation will surely run into low hanging fruit, circling backs, deep diving leveraging, but when finally approved will be really groovy.

Rugged. Like me? Nope, even MORE ruggeder. The hottest thing for light trucks tires are R/T tires. Call them rugged terrain or rough terrain. You know how people that should be riding on H/T tires want all-terrains, and people that need A/Ts want mud terrains? R/Ts are the ticket. They’re right there in between All-terrains and mudders. Think of them as a more aggressive A/T or a more streetable M/T. Cooper is entering this market with their new Discoverer Rugged Trek. These feature an extra deep tread design 16/32nds on SUV sizes and 18.5/32nds on LT sizes.  Backed by 60K treadwear warranty (SUV sizes) and 55K on the light truck sizes. And you get Cooper’s otherworldly wet traction technology. But it’s the looks that’ll grab you. The deep open tread pattern and the mean looking shoulders are what the hottest demographic is looking for.

Indispensable Propaganda  Rock steady and predictable - Cooper’s spring consumer rebate lifted off on March 18th and runs through April 12th. It’s $50 back on CS5’s and SRX’s. $70 on AT3’s and Enduramax. Cooper has a new QR code that makes it even easier for your customers to snap a pic and jump right into the redemption portal. The details are HERE. Hankook’s rebate started March 19 and keeps rolling on until May 18.   $70 on K120, $60 on H452, RH12 RA33, $50 on H737,$40 back on Laufenn LH01 and LD01.

Predicting the future Here’s an interesting story. It’s an interview conducted by Modern Tire Dealer’s editor Mike Manges and he’s speaking with industry analyst John Healy. It was published on January 15 of this year. He predicts mergers and acquisitions will continue. He was right on that point and some others. But here’s something that is right up your alley. Healy is talking about how consumers want to buy their tires. He’s a smart guy and he says they want to buy them from YOU. Here’s an excerpt: “When the transaction occurs, we think many - if not most - customers want the approval and viewpoint of a trained tire professional. We have a long-term view that tires are sold and not bought. This nuance centers around our view that consumers ultimately want to make sure (they consult with) someone who knows how those tires will fit, how they respond and most importantly, their quality, prior to making the purchase decision. Outside of the actual purchase and research side of the tire buying process, we think scheduling service online and via apps is an area where national and regional outfits are gaining traction. We think having an e-commerce service solution is of more importance than having an e-commerce tire buying offering. And we expect that this will be the case for some time.”  You can read the article by clicking HERE.

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