VIP Inc., dba VIP Tires & Service, is taking on a fourth state in New England. The company has acquired a store from TBC Corp. in Williston, Vt., and began operations Oct. 2.
The store, located at 300 Essex Road in Williston, gives VIP 58 locations. The business has its headquarters and 35 locations in Maine, three in Massachusetts and 19 stores in New Hampshire. “Expanding to Vermont and opening a store in the Greater Burlington area has been in our strategic plan for a while,” says Tim Winkeler, president and chief operating officer for VIP. “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.”
VIP plans to renovate the 9,000-square-foot, eight-bay location in the spring of 2019. The hours of operation will remain the same as the previous service center: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.- 8 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"VIP has several stores along the New Hampshire northern border and we are very excited to open our first store in Vermont," says John Quirk, owner of VIP and chairman of the board. Quirk is also Modern Tire Dealer's 2018 Tire Dealer of the Year.
The company has hired the eight employees at the store, and Nick Sirois will continue as store manager. VIP plans to add at least one Master ASE technician to the existing team, which matches one of Quirk's goals to have a master tech on duty in every VIP store for every shift.
"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 Olsen, CEO and president 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."
VIP stores concentrate on offering a full range of automotive services and tires.
“At VIP, our mission is to earn an automotive customer for life,” says 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.”
This new store in Vermont follows the August 2018 opening of a new location in West Lebanon, N.H. VIP is No. 17 on the Modern Tire Dealer 100, the list of the largest independent tire dealers in the nation.
Winkeler says, “We plan to continue 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.”
For more information, visit: www.vipauto.com.
