Tire Factory Stores changing name to Point S

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May 28, 2015, 01:32 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- John Kreidel, CEO of Tire Factory, today announced that the 32 year old member-owned cooperative based in Portland, Oregon, with 157 Members and over 200 stores in 15 Western States, will join Point S and change its stores' names. The change will occur beginning in June of this year, and will continue over the next 18 months. "Customers will see more things staying the same than changing," Kreidel said. "They'll still find the same local owners and staff, dedicated to serving their communities." Kreidel continued, "Tire Factory has grown in the West for 32 years, but the Members and the Board realized that to continue to grow and remain relevant in a changing market, we needed to improve our brand and increase our buying power. After looking at many alternatives, we decided to join hands with over three thousand independents worldwide who fly the Point S flag and who are made up of independent store owners just like Tire Factory."

Point S logo

Eric Gill, Chairman of the Tire Factory Board, said, "The customer will really only notice three changes. The name on the stores will change. Second, they will find a great line, Point S branded products, in our stores. And third, customers will appreciate remodeled stores with an updated and fresh Point S brand." Gill added, "Tire Factory was founded by five independent tire store owners in 1983, who decided they could save their customers some money by combining their purchases. Today, 157 owners are doing the same thing on a bigger scale, getting better prices for their customers, by joining hands with Point S."

WHY CHANGE NAMES?

"Changing our name was taken very seriously but it's the right thing to do," noted Kreidel. "Tire Factory is a well-known brand, but standing together with over 3,300 other independents, 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," Kreidel stated.

Fabien Bouquet, Deputy Managing Director of point S development, the international headquarters of point S, said, "The common decision of UniMax and Tire Factory to use the point S Trademark as an exclusive retail banner in their respective networks, is fantastic news. This historic decision from both networks supports our mutual target to build up the largest North American Independent tire dealer network. This is what we have achieved today."

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 operates three distribution centers, Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, go to www.jointirefactory.com or www.tirefactory.com.

About Point S

Point S Development, headquartered in Lyon France, represents independent dealer groups in 27 Countries representing 3,300 points of sales with purchases of over 16 million tires. For more information go to www.points-development.com.

About UniMax Tire Ltd.

For more than 35 years, UniMax Tire Ltd., has been one of the biggest networks of independent retailers and distributers of tires in Canada and operates more than 600 outlets. UniMax Tire sells over 3 million tires a year in retail and distribution. Contact: Dominic Simard, [email protected].

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SOURCE Tire Factory