TBC buys private brand lines from Goodyear

June 6, 2001

TBC Corp., already the largest private brand marketer in North America, has added two more brands to its arsenal.

The Memphis, Tenn.-based company acquired rights to the Vanderbilt and Turbo-Tech trademarks and molds from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. At one time, both lines were owned by Reynolds Tire & Rubber.

Adding Vanderbilt and Turbo-Tech to its Multi-Mile, Cordovan, Sigma and Big O brands will increase TBC's domestic private brand passenger tire market share to 7.5% and light truck tire share to more than 10.5%, according to Modern Tire Dealer estimates. TBC also has exclusive rights to the Fulda brand in the United States.

"As the marketplace evolves, the independent tire dealers need a strong, complete, exclusive private label on which to focus their businesses and build overall sales margins," says Ken Dick, executive vice president of sales for TBC's Private Brands Division. "Vanderbilt/Turbo-Tech supports this strategy by providing a unique product lineup, without affecting the exclusivity that is so important to our Multi-Mile, Cordovan and Sigma customers' success."

According to TBC, the brands will consist of 14 offerings in the passenger, metric, performance and light truck tire segments. Turbo-Tech has historically been the white-letter line of the two.