Tire dealership mergers and acquisitions continued during 2022. Here’s a look at some other big tire dealership acquisitions that took place in North America last year.
Transactions are listed in chronological order, based on when they were announced. (Terms of the deals were not disclosed.)
Mavis Tire Express Services Corp./Action-Gator Tire (first quarter)
Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. strengthened its presence in Florida when it acquired Orlando-based Action Gator Tire Stores’ retail outlets in January 2022.
At the time, Action Gator – which was owned by Christensen Enterprises – had 19 retail/commercial outlets, five commercial tire centers and one distribution center, making it the 48th largest independent tire dealership in the U.S., according to MTD research.
When the acquisition was announced, a spokesman from Mavis told MTD that Fred Christensen, Action Gator’s longtime president, would help “us transition and will help source future locations.”
Coast Tire & Auto Service/Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s shares in Coast Tire (first quarter)
For years, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Owned 49% of Saint John, New Brunswick-based Coast Tire & Auto Service, one of the largest independent tire dealers in eastern Canada. The tiremaker sold that stake to Coast Tire’s ownership team in February 2022.
Coast Tire – which sells both consumer and commercial tires – has more than 25 locations across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, plus a retread plant in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Transfer of ownership had been in Coast Tire’s plans “for several years,” said Ron Outerbridge, the dealership's president and CEO, when the buy-out was announced.
Coast Tire’s ownership team also includes John Correia, vice president of sales and marketing; Peter Coleman, vice president of finance and administration; and Gary Mott, director of retail operations.
McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc./ Piedmont Truck Tires (first quarter)
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-based McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. continued its march down the East Coast during 2022 – a year of multiple acquisitions for the rapidly expanding commercial tire dealership.
McCarthy Tire’s largest purchase of the year was Piedmont Truck Tires Inc., a longtime commercial tire fixture in the Carolinas and Tennessee, in February.
Piedmont had 10 commercial tire outlets and two retread plants. Seven of those outlets are located in North Carolina – including Raleigh and Greensboro. One is located in Columbia, S.C., and another is located in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The addition of Piedmont Truck Tires gave McCarthy Tire – the fifth largest commercial tire dealership in the U.S., according to MTD research – 70-plus service locations at the time of the acquisition.
McCarthy Tire later acquired LS Truck Tire Repair, a commercial tire dealership with five outlets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and Barclay, Md.-based Classic Tire Service Inc. Both deals were announced during the second quarter.
Tire Discounters Inc./Butler Tires and Wheels (second quarter)
When it comes to sheer number of acquisitions, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Tire Discounters Inc. was perhaps the most prolific tire dealership of 2022.
The company acquired more than 15 other tire dealerships during the year and solidified its push into the Atlanta, Ga., market in June when it purchased Butler Tires and Wheels.
Founded in 1979, Butler Tires and Wheels has four locations in the greater Atlanta area. The company specializes in ultra-high performance tires, custom wheels and vehicle customization.
The deal “will increase Butler’s accessibility nationwide – allowing customers all around the nation to get ‘Butlerized,’” Tire Discounters said in a statement when the acquisition was announced.
Click here for an in-depth article on Tire Discounters’ other acquisitions of 2022.
Southern Tire Mart LLC/Redburn Tire Co. (third quarter)
Southern Tire Mart LLC, the largest independent commercial tire dealership in the country, got even bigger in September when it acquired Redburn Tire Co., an OTR tire mainstay in the southwestern U.S.
Based in Phoenix, Redburn Tire was owned by J.D. Chastain and Don Leffler, who retired after selling their company.
Redburn Tire had locations in Phoenix, Mesa, Tucson, Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma and Prescott Valley, Ariz.; two outlets in Colorado; and three locations in New Mexico.
All Redburn Tire outlets are now operating as Southern Tire Mart locations.
The company was “a good, complementary dealer,” Southern Tire Mart executive Keven Haddox told MTD.
Click here for an in-depth look at other significant tire dealership acquisitions of 2022.
