Many of the country’s largest independent tire dealerships have invested in new locations since the last edition of the MTD 100 was published in July 2023.
According to MTD research, Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., the largest independent tire dealership in the United States, went from reporting 2,029 locations at this time last year to having 2,115 stores.
Mavis made headlines in June 2023 when it acquired nearly 600 Tire Kingdom Service Centers and NTB Tire and Service Centers stores from TBC Corp., which also marked TBC’s exit from company-owned retail.
Discount Tire recently topped the 1,200-store mark, adding nearly 70 stores in the past 12 months, including 21 during 2024. In 2024, Discount Tire has added locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based retailer acquired Buffalo, N.Y.-based Dunn Tire Corp.’s retail stores — 25 in all — in September 2023. The purchase, which did not include Dunn Tire’s wholesale division, then known as Exxpress Tire Delivery, marked Discount Tire’s entry into the New York market and expanded the company’s presence in Pennsylvania.
The acquisition also marked a noteworthy departure from Discount Tire’s traditional “tires-only” model since all 25 former Dunn Tire retail stores offer auto service.
Around the same time, Discount Tire also acquired Ellisville Tire & Service, a single-store dealership in Ellisville, Mo., part of the St. Louis metro area.
In April 2024, Discount Tire acquired another independent tire dealership, Suburban Tire Auto Repair Centers, a longtime Chicago, Ill., market mainstay with six locations that, like Dunn Tire and Ellisville Tire, offer auto service.
Discount Tire officials said that both Dunn Tire and Suburban Tire Auto Repair Centers will continue to operate under their historic names.
Bend, Ore.-based Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. added nearly 30 stores during the last 12 months and made a major acquisition in June 2024 when it purchased CMC Tire, a commercial tire dealership with 11 locations throughout Utah, Colorado and Nevada.
CMC Tire, which was founded in 2014 by Michael Morast and Tommy Servine, also operated a Continental retread plant in Hurricane, Utah.
According to Les Schwab officials, CMC Tire, which “brings particular expertise in the commercial, mining and construction fields,” will continue to operate under the CMC banner.
Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has added 50 locations since the 2023 edition of the MTD 100 was published. During the second half of 2023, the Mesa, Ariz.-based chain opened five stores in the Houston, Texas, market.
Sun Auto Tire kicked off 2024 by acquiring Boyd’s Tire & Service, a seven-location dealership located in central Ohio, which marked Sun Auto Tire’s entry into that state.
In March, Sun Auto Tire continued its push into Texas by acquiring Carrollton Complete Automotive, a 13-year-old dealership in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area. The acquisition gave Sun Auto Tire 436 locations throughout 21 states.
Several months later, Sun Auto Tire expanded its footprint in Minnesota by opening a new TGK Tire & Auto store in Arden Hills, which had been a Big O Tires outlet. Sun Auto Tire acquired TGK in 2022, which marked its Minnesota debut.
Last month, Sun Auto Tire acquired 33 Caliber Auto Care locations in Texas from body shop giant Caliber Collision. Sixteen of those stores are in Dallas, 13 are in Houston and four are in San Antonio.
The Best-One Tire Group, which is based in Monroe, Ind., grew over the last 12 months.
In August 2023, Cullman, Ala.-based McGriff Tire, which operates 18 locations throughout Alabama and Tennessee, joined Best-One. This development further extended Best-One's reach into the southeastern U.S.
Big Brand Tire & Service, which is based in Moorpark, Calif., and is owned by Percheron Capital, increased its number of stores from 202 in July 2023 to 207 stores.
Columbia, Miss.-based Southern Tire Mart LLC, the largest independent commercial tire dealership in the U.S., has expanded its footprint to 208 stores, a 30-store increase from July 2023, when the company acquired two dealerships in California: Country Tire & Wheel and Tulare Firestone.
Country Tire & Wheel had four locations, including two in Bakersfield, Calif., one in Fresno and another store in Taft, Calif. The dealership, which was founded in 1983, had been owned by Tommy Castro and Randy Scholl.
Headquartered in Tulare, Calif., Tulare Firestone operated under the name of TF Tire & Service and had nine locations, including a wholesale division. It was owned by Lionel and Kevin Pires.
The two dealerships jointly owned Eco-T Tire & Retreading, a Bandag retread operation established in 2015. All Country Tire & Wheel, Tulare Firestone and Eco-T locations now do business under the Southern Tire Mart banner.
Tire Discounters Inc., which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, continued to add locations, reaching 214 stores at press time.
During the first half of 2024, the dealership added locations in Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee and continues “to look for family-owned businesses that share our core values” as potential acquisitions.
Green Bay, Wis.-based Pomp’s Tire Service Inc. and Allen Park, Mich.-based Belle Tire Distributors Ltd., also added locations, with Pomp’s expanding its reach by more than 50 outlets versus what was reported in the 2023 MTD 100 and Belle Tire adding four stores as it continues to strengthen its presence in the greater Chicago market.
Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Leeds West Groups increased its store count to 124 with the acquisition of six Big O Tires locations in Texas last month. Four of those stores are in San Antonio, one is in Selma, Texas, and the other is in Leon Valley, Texas.
Norwell, Mass.-based Sullivan Tire Co. Inc. added 11 locations during the last 12 months, boosting its footprint to 103 outlets. Last year, the company reopened its store in Damariscotta, Maine. In June 2024, Sullivan Tire acquired the assets of seven Stratham Tire locations located in Bangor and Auburn, Maine, and in Portsmouth and Brentwood, N.H.
The Stratham Tire locations have since been rebranded as Sullivan Tire stores. They will continue to provide auto service, while the Bangor, Auburn and Brentwood locations will also sell commercial truck tires.
AAA Club Alliance Inc., which does business as AAA/Bob Sumerel Tire & Service, AAA Care and AAA Tire & Service, increased its store count to 101 locations, a 12-store gain based on what was reported in the 2023 MTD 100.
Potosi, Mo.-based Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. added one location within the last 12 months, increasing its count to 78 stores.
McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc., which is based in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., added a greenfield store in Newark, N.J., and in August 2023 acquired Dice’s Tire Service, a single-location dealership in Carlisle, Pa., from its owners, Trey Wible and Sherrie Fisher. The Dice Tire acquisition also gave McCarthy Tire another Bandag retread plant for a total of 14 retread shops. Excluding retread plants and distribution centers, McCarthy Tire now has 73 locations.
Auburn, Maine-based VIP Tires & Service opened a new store Lowell, Mass., in August 2023 and in March 2024 acquired Joe’s Tire Shop in Westbury, Conn., which marked VIP Tires & Service’s entry into Connecticut. VIP Tires & Service also opened a store in Brockton, Mass., last month. The dealership now has 70 locations.
Black’s Tire Service Inc., which is celebrating its 95th year in business, brought four new locations into its fold: Lugoff Tire, which is based in Lugoff, S.C.; Raynor Tire, based in Fayetteville, N.C.; Calabash Auto, based in Calabash, N.C.; and Columbia Commercial, which is based in Columbia, S.C. Black’s Tire, which is headquartered in Whiteville, N.C., now has nearly 60 locations.
Merdian, Idaho-based Commercial Tire Inc. added three stores in the last 12 months — one in Idaho, one in Utah and another in Washington — bringing its store count to 52 locations.
Based in The Dalles, Ore., Gills Point S Tire & Auto Service boosted its store count from 43 as of July 2023 to 71 locations by adding stores in Utah, Montana, New Hampshire, Idaho and Michigan.
Fort Worth, Texas-based Texas Tires LLC now has 49 locations, according to MTD research.
Bloomsburg, Pa.-based Steve Shannon Tire Co. Inc. added six locations in the past year, which boosted its store count to 43.
MTD research shows that Anaheim, Calif.-based AKH Co. Inc., which does business as Discount Tire Centers, now has 40 stores, and Northern Rock Automotive now has 58 locations. MFA Oil Co., which does business as Big O Tires in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, now has 36 locations.
Rental Concepts LLC, which is based in Fayetteville, Ark., and does business as RNR Tire Express, now has 32 stores, up from 29 stores reported in the 2023 MTD 100.
Dayton, Ohio-based Grismer Tire Co., which does business as Grismer Tire & Auto Service, Detroit Tire and Dayton Tire Sales, opened a retail store in Lewis Center, Ohio, this past March. The greenfield outlet operates under the Grismer Tire banner and gives the dealership 28 total locations.
Goodturn Tire & Auto, which is based in Wellington, Fla., now has 27 locations. It acquired Naples, Fla.-based Collier Car Care this past April.
Another Big O Tires franchisee, SF Tire and Service Central Inc., which is based in Benicia, Calif., increased its store count from 25 to 27.
Webster Groves, Mo.-based Telle Tire & Auto Service Inc. increased its store count to 26. In July 2023, after the 2023 MTD 100 was published, Telle Tire opened a new store in Webster Groves, followed by the acquisition of Auto Clinic, a two-store business in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
In August 2023, Telle Tire acquired the assets of Car-Doc Automotive & Tire in Maryland Heights, Mo., and in November 2023, Telle Tire purchased Rasch Automotive Service Center in Kirkwood, Mo., which had operated in the St. Louis, Mo., suburb since 1944.
North Salt Lake, Utah-based Burt Brothers Tire & Service Inc. added four stores. They are located in Eagle Mountain, Utah; Coalville, Utah; Tooele, Utah; and Roy, Utah. The additions bring the dealership’s store count to 24.
Pete’s Tire Barns Inc., which is based in Orange, Mass., added a location and now has 24 outlets.
Northwest Tire Inc., which is based in Bismarck, N.D., added a location, taking its current store count to 21. The dealership is building a commercial location in West Fargo, N.D., that will open in December or January.
Summit Capital Partners Automotive Services LP, an RNR Tire Express franchise, now has 22 locations, according to RNR Tire Express, up from 19 stores as listed in last year’s MTD 100.
Birdsboro, Pa.-based CJ’s Tire & Automotive Inc. now has 18 locations, one more than reported in the 2023 MTD 100. Columbus, Ohio-based Katz Tire & Wheel also increased its number of stores from 17 to 18.
In addition, Central Arizona Automotive Group, a Mesa, Ariz.-based Big O Tires franchise, has 18 locations, a two-store increase from one year ago. And Addison, Ill.-based Cassidy Tire & Service now has 18 locations.
Lexington, Ky.-based S&S Firestone now has 15 non-warehouse locations, all of them commercial tire outlets.
Wonderland Tire Co., which is headquartered in Byron Center, Mich., acquired Carter Tire & Automotive in Elkhart, Ind., located between Wonderland Tire’s stores in western Michigan and its Chicago store. Wonderland Tire reports that it currently has 14 locations in total.
Bluewell, W. Va.-based King Tire Service Inc., Tulsa, Okla.-based Robertson Tire Co. Inc. and McAllen, Texas-based Pueblo Tires Ltd. now have 14 stores each, according to MTD research.
Bruneel Point S Auto & Tire, which is based in Boise, Idaho, now has 13 non-warehouse locations. Frederick, Md.-based Rice Tire Co. also has 13 locations, having added a store in Camp Hill, Pa., during the last year.
