"I'm very comfortable with the acquisition" of AM-PAC Tire Distributors Inc. by American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD), says Dennis Mangola, former CEO and president of AM-PAC. The acquisition was announced earlier today.
The primary focus of both organizations "is on the independent tire dealer channel," Mangola told www.moderntiredealer.com. (Mangola is going to run both AM-PAC's Tire Pros franchise program and its chain of 40 company-owned Tire Pros retail stores, both of which ATD now owns. As part of the deal, ATD also acquired 24 AM-PAC distribution centers.)
"We're going to take a very strategic position. We're going to get even more focused" on serving the independent dealer channel.
AM-PAC brings a lot to the table, said Mangola, including two private label brands, Capitol and Negotiator, that ATD doesn't carry. "Those two brands are being expanded upon and they will continue to grow." (Both are built by AM-PAC's former owner, Itochu Corp.)
At the same time, ATD was stronger in other areas, according to Mangola, who praised the distributor's logistics system. "ATD is great at what it does. They are more advanced than AM-PAC was with regard to logistics."
