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COMPANY NEWS
TD Tyres Achieves Growth with One-Stop Shop Concept
Bus and coach tyre specialists TD Tyres have recently extended their business to cover the haulage sector in addition to extending their range of services to the coach sector to include a breakdown service, a casing collection service and the supply of a range of consumables, thereby creating a one-stop shop for small-to- medium bus operators.
The Malvern based company was originally set up nine years ago when the company’s Managing Director Adam Fletcher noticed a gap in the market for a specialist tyre supplier to independent bus operators. “Nobody was looking after small to medium bus operators who wanted to fit their own tyres,” says Fletcher. “The big manufacturers didn’t seem to want to bother with the smaller guys, who were crying out for a supplier that could offer a good range of budget, mid-range and premium tyres.” Fletcher’s solution was to create a company to service these clients on a supply-only basis and over the years TD Tyres has developed a steadily increasing portfolio of brands. The company offers Bridgestone, Uniroyal, Continental and Dunlop as premium brand options, Barum, Semperit and
the recently introduced Falken brand as mid-range options, and Goodride, Doublestar and Torque for the budget sector. According to Adam Fletcher the key to TD Tyres’ service is that the company does not mind if the customer orders one or one hundred tyres or if the customer is looking for a tyre that is hard to get hold of. “Our job is to look after the customer,” he says. “Not
ever yone is prepared to put the work in for the customer but our aim is to make sure our client base is assured of a continuity of supply. We are not necessarily always the cheapest but our service is always top notch.”
TD Tyres’ business model is to operate entirely over the phone, supplying tyres from £3 million worth of stock held in the company’s warehousing facility in the South of England. The company offers a next day pallet deliver y service, with free deliver y for as little as four tyres.
According to Fletcher, TD Tyres has expanded significantly over the course of the past few years. Four years ago, the company broke into the haulage market and as a result TD Tyres is now a regular visitor to the CV Show. Haulage is now a key area of
expansion for the company, the main focus being on the tipper sector. “The tipper market is an area where we have invested
heavily,” says Fletcher and we are looking to expand further in this market.”
As a result of the recent growth TD Tyres has also added a breakdown service, which they provide to their customers only via an existing network. The company also offers a casing collection service to their customers as well as a range of valves and consumables .
“The recession has certainly helped our growth,” says Fletcher. “With increased bidding and competition on school runs, operators are having to cut costs. TD can help bus operators do that. We can deliver direct at good prices and can help keep overheads down. Customers know that if they buy from TD Tyres they will not have to keep a stock of tyres, which is an important benefit. As a result, we have increased business by 35% this year, picking up 10-12 new accounts a week in both truck and bus sectors.”