VIP Tires & Service is expanding its geographic footprint and opening its first store in Vermont.
The company is acquiring an existing NTB store, formerly owned by TBC Corp., located at 300 Essex Road in Williston, Vermont, which will be VIP’s 58th store in Northern New England. Currently, VIP has 19 locations in New Hampshire, three in Massachusetts and 35 in Maine.
“Expanding to Vermont and opening a store in the Greater Burlington area has been in our strategic plan for a while,” said Tim Winkeler, president and COO of VIP Tires & Service. “We knew this was the right location for VIP because it is a large population center that is close to our primary auto parts provider and the company that warehouses our tires, making servicing our customers easier and efficient.”
The deal on the 9,000-square-foot, eight service bay location was finalized last week with TBC, and VIP will begin operations on Oct. 2. The company plans to renovate its new location in the spring of 2019.
“TBC and VIP have had a strong partnership for many years, and I personally have had the opportunity to work with John for many years,” said Erik R. Olsen, president and CEO of TBC Corp. “As TBC and VIP continue our working relationship, we are confident that our decision to sell our Williston, VT NTB location to VIP supports the strategic interest of both entities, and we know that John and his team will continue to provide the community with the exceptional service that they deserve.”
John Quirk, owner of VIP, a 93-year-old family-owned business and chairman of the board, said VIP has several stores along the northern New Hampshire border, and the company is excited to open its first store in Vermont.”
The eight employees at the new location have been hired by VIP Tires & Service. Nick Sirois will continue in his role as store manager. VIP plans to add at least one Master ASE Technician to the existing team, providing customers the ability to have all their automotive work done at one location.
All VIP Tire & Service locations, including the new Williston location, offer full-service automotive repair, maintenance and tire shop offering everything from brake repair, preventative maintenance, muffler and exhaust repair, multi-point vehicle inspections, wheel alignments, state inspections and oil changes.
“At VIP, our mission is to earn an automotive customer for life,” said Quirk, “We do that by having highly trained technicians who enjoy helping people … Many people think our business is a transactional business, but it’s not, it’s about relationships.”
In August 2018, VIP Tires & Service opened a new store in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. According to Winkeler, the company is planning to “grow our store footprint each year, either through acquisition or by building new stores from the ground up so that we can make it as easy as possible for Northern New Englanders to turn to VIP for the most reliable tire and automotive services.”
