It is always exciting and instructive to be in a tire dealership and watch it in action. The conversations, the customers, the equipment, the movement and process…small businesses are themselves an organism that lives and grows because of those actions and flourishes on the results.
Rarely do we consider a tire dealership as a set of numbers, as measures of the physical, financial and philosophical aspects of such a business.
The massive amounts of data obtained in the 2015 Tire Review Tire Industry Benchmarking Study – our second annual research study – gave us not only a clearer understanding of how a tire dealer functions, but also the success of its planning and execution. And we can look at what elements are most important, and what really separates the top tire dealers from all others.
Those that stand out from the pack are our 2015 Platinum Performers.
To uncover the top performing dealers, certain questions in the Tire Industry Benchmarking Study were scored on a 1 to 4 scale, with 4 being the top score possible for each graded question. Scores were awarded based on responses to questions dealing with building/equipment, sales, operations, marketing and personnel.
A perfect score was 156, and just like last year no single dealer even came close. The highest score among this group of 10 businesses was 119.8, up from last year’s best of 118.6. These 10 top dealers were consistent; the lowest score posted among them was 102.8.
Some of the trends the top dealers surprised us, some really did not. The goal of this entire exercise – from the Benchmarking Study through the Platinum Performers Awards – is to focus on the real metrics today’s tire dealers face, and help readers see opportunities for their own improvement.
2015 Platinum Performers
(** Indicates 2014 Platinum Performer)
Reese’s Tire & Automotive Tire Pros
President & CEO
Cottonwood, AZ
Years in Operation: 46
Number of Bays: 11
Location Total Square Footage: 11,500
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 72/28
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Frasier Tire Service Inc.**
General Sales Manager
Sumter, S.C.
Years in Operation: 41
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 42,975
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 67/33
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $10-15 million
Yorktown Service Plaza Tire Pros
Owner/Operator
Parma Heights, OH
Years in Operation: 43
Number of Bays: 10
Location Total Square Footage: 10,700
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 40/60
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Tokah Inc./Big O Tires**
President
Yucca Valley, CA
Years in Operation: 21
Number of Bays: 6
Location Total Square Footage: 5,101
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 64/36
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Ray’s Tire & Service Tire Pros**
Store Manager
St. Augustine, FL
Years in Operation: 33
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 7,360
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 40/60
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Bud’s Tire & Wheel Tire Pros
Owner
Orangecrest, CA
Years in Operation: 20
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 5,920
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 60/40
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Napa Tire Inc.
Owner
Napa, CA
Years in Operation: 18
Number of Bays: 5
Location Total Square Footage: 7,800
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 35/65
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Hoffman Tire Pros**
Owner
Fayetteville, GA
Years in Operation: 39
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 8,000
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 32/68
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Kovac Automotive
Owner
Davie, FL
Years in Operation: 41
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 6,000
2014 Tire/Service Sales Mix: 24/76
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
Drenth’s Highway Garage/Tire Pros
General Manager
Schererville, IN
Years in Operation: 2
Number of Bays: 8
Location Total Square Footage: 10,800
2014 Tire/Service Sales: 17/83
2014 Total Gross Revenue: $1-5 million
To see the data that separates the 2015 Platinum Performers from other tire dealers, click here.