| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | (1970) |
| Headquarters | Stockport, England |
| Number of locations | 216 |
| Key people | Tony Neill (Axle Group CEO) Alan Revie (Axle Group Chairman) |
| Revenue | circa £180 million |
| Employees | 1,300 (October 2010) |
| Parent | Axle Group Holdings Ltd |
| Website | http://www.national.co.uk |
National Tyres and Autocare is an independent tyre and automotive parts retailer based in Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Axle Group Holdings Ltd. They are commonly referred to as just 'National Tyres'[1] although the limited company is still National Tyre Service Ltd (trading as National Tyres and Autocare).
Contents |
National Tyres and Autocare was formed in August 1970 under the name National Tyre Service Ltd. It brought together a number of regional independent companies to form the UK's first national network of tyre fitting centres.
In 1985 National Tyre Service Ltd was purchased by BTR plc.
In May 1991, National Tyre Service Ltd was bought from BTR plc by German tyre manufacturer Continental AG. At the same time Continental AG also purchased Smiley Tyres & Exhausts (who subsequently merged with National Tyre Service) and tyre wholsalers Birkenshaw International and Viking Tyres. Birkenshaw International and Viking Tyres later merged to form Viking International.
In December 2001, under a management buyout, National Tyre Service Ltd was transferred to their current parent company, Axle Group Holdings Ltd for £24m.[2][3]
In August 2006 the Leicester branch of National Tyres was almost completely destroyed in a large fire. The branch was subsequently rebuilt and still trades today.[4]
In April 2010, National Tyres announced it would sell a selection of popular tyre makes and models via an eBay outlet store.[5]
National Tyres are members of the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA), the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) and the British Safety Council. They are also full members of Tyre Safe,[6] an organisation committed to promoting important tyre safety messages to the public. As full members they offer free tyre health checks to motorists as well as participating in promotional work.
In October 2004 National Tyres were awarded the Tyre Industry Council's 'Tyre Safety Industry Award' for pioneering tyre safety clinics at major supermarkets.[7]
National Tyres are an approved assessment centre for The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) NVQ qualifications as well as a City & Guilds approved training centre. In January 2010 their Foundation Modern Apprenticeship (FMA) scheme was inspected by OFSTED and rated as 'Good'.
National Tyres work in partnership with the cross-Government initiative, ACT ON CO2[8] which aims to communicate the seriousness of climate change. They promote the campaign by distributing leaflets through their network of branches.
They currently operate an ISO9001:2000 approved quality system.
National Tyres sponsored the Suzuki superbike team in the 2000 British Superbike Championship. Their main rider, Chris Walker, came close to winning the Championship that year, only engine failure with three laps remaining allowed Ducati rider Neil Hodgson to pass him and take the title.