Level is certainly better than negative. So U.S. tire dealers should be happy that preliminary results show that tire unit and auto service sales for June were level with those of June 2008.
Click here for July 2009 charts
And that result follows a May that saw tire and service sales stay even with the same month last year.
While it may still be too early to call it a clear upward trend, Tire Review’s exclusive Dealer Panel reported preliminary June tire sales dead even with June 2008, and final May 2009 sales results were identical to those posted in May 2008.
Preliminary May 2009 results indicated that tire unit sales were off almost 4% vs. the same month last year – with sharp declines in all three surveyed sectors.
Service Dollars
Final results for May were exactly level with May 2008 results, an improvement over April service sales that were down 1.9% vs. April 2008. This is no small feat, since both undercar and underhood service sales have been consistently running 4%-5% below previous year levels for months. Preliminary June numbers also look relatively strong, staying even with June 2008.
Dealer Comments
Dealer panel member comments continue to reflect concerns over the economy. Here is a sampling of what they had to say:
• Things are starting to improve
• People are having their families work on their cars; tire sales are up though.
• Manufacturers aren’t lowering prices like they should.
• I wouldn’t know where to start
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