28 May 2015, USA – Point S Development, Point S International headquarters, fasts its development in North America with a double announcement for both Canada and USA.
After having joined the Point S International network 2 years ago, the Canadian Group Unimax has taken the decision to use the Point S trademark as unique banner for its retail network and will so replace the Unipneu signage of its members with the Point S corporate identity. This announcement is reflecting the strategy of Unimax to increase and strengthen its coverage of the Canadian market by developing the Point S retail and marketing concept.
Bruno Leclair, President and CEO of Unimax Tire Ltd, comments: “We are certain that our retailers will quickly see the advantages of operating under the Point S brand, and its market orientation, being linked to a world-renowned brand as well as one of the most experienced in the industry.”
At the same time, Tire Factory, the American independent tire dealer network is announcing its membership to Point S with a replacement of its banner by the Point S signage and a harmonization plan of all its members’ retail outlets.
Tire Factory is becoming the Point S exclusive Licensee for the US market.
John Kreidel, Tire Factory CEO, explains this decision: “Tire Factory is a well-known brand but using the Point S brand was compelling to our long term marketing strategy. Point S stands for Service Point and better reflects our local store’s brand for selling both tires and automotive services.”
Fabien Bouquet, Point S International deputy Managing Director, took also the opportunity of the Unimax-Point S Canada annual convention, on the 28th of May, to comment these 2 announcements:
“The common decision of Unimax and Tire Factory to use the Point S trademark and corporate identity as exclusive retail banner in their respective networks is supporting a target I was sharing with both Bruno Leclair and John Kreidel to build up a leading North American Independent tire retailer network. This is what we have achieved today. To consolidate our North American approach and develop new synergies we have opened the capital of our local headquarters, Point S North America, to both companies. We are also working on sharing common marketing programs as well as a common supplier assortment supported by Point S International agreements with some vendors. Our main focus will be to support the retail business of our North American members by implementing a consistent sell-in and sell-out policy as well as using all the tools already available in our International trademark and business platform. Our development plan at mid-term is to implement the Point S CI in 600 retail points of sales, the harmonization plan we have scheduled with Tire Factory and Unimax will allow us to achieve this target within 4 years”.
About Point S
Point S is the biggest network of independent tire dealer in the world, with a presence in 28 countries, representing over 3000 retail outlets, selling over 16 million tires a year.
Point S Development, Point S International headquarters, is based in France where the trademark and network had been founded 44 years ago.
www.points-development.com
About Unimax Tire Ltd.
For more than 35 years, Unimax Tire Ltd., is one of the biggest networks of independent retailers and distributers of tires in Canada. Present in Quebec, Ontario and the four Maritime provinces, Unimax Tire Ltd. operates more than 600 outlets under several banners, including Point S. Unimax Tire manages close to thirty warehouses through its dealer-owners in Canada and sells over 3 million tires a year in retail and wholesale.
www.point-s.ca
About Tire Factory
Tire Factory, based in Portland, Oregon, is the leading independent, Member owned, tire dealer organization in the U.S. The company has grown by providing its members effective marketing and buying programs since 1984. There are more than 200 retail locations in 15 western states with retail sales over $300 million. Tire Factory operate 3 distribution centers Portland-Oregon, Denver-Colorado and Salt Lake City-Utah.
www.tirefactory.com