At the Tyre Talks that ran in parallel with October’s Brityrex, National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Director Stefan Hay offered a strong, but pragmatic line on the current state of used tire sales within the UK tire market as well as suggestions for how the market should approach this part of the business, reported Tyres & Accessories.
Hay suggested that there were upwards of 4.5 million used tires being sold in the UK each year. Although this is a high estimate, Tyres & Accessories reported that there is a general feeling that used tire stores are opening up at an alarming rate across the UK. This feeling is only amplified, according to Tyres & Accessories, by the examples of non-compliance and dangerousness that recent NTDA, TyreSafe and Trading Standards research revealed.
According to Hay, in Bristol, the Trading Standards offices found that 100% of used tires sampled were not marked as such and therefore were not compliant with current legislation. The offices also found that in St. Helens 100% were not marked and 45% were deemed unsafe.
Hay proposed a three-pronged approach to improving used tire standards which includes raising awareness levels and competence through Trading Standards; raising general awareness of the dangers of used tires; and removing dangerous and defective tires from the part worn market.
Tyres & Accessories reported that, as far as the UK is concerned, the NTDA would like to “encourage the industry in best practice” and take a leadership role in this. Already, some large retail networks such as Kwik-Fit are running an awareness raising campaign on the subject of used tires.
To read the entire article, click here.
