Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers Inc. recently opened its 38th location -- a new store in Wentzville, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.
The company also broke ground on another store to replace the original Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers outlet which was destroyed in a six-alarm fire in April 2003.
That location is a 7,400-square-foot outlet in a retail strip mall in southwest St. Louis County. It was purchased from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. by Don Dobbs, chairman of the board and CEO, in 1976.
Scheduled to open in March 2004, the 8,000-square-foot replacement facility will include 10 service bays and all new equipment, the same type used in the larger and now standard "superstores" that Dobbs has been constructing for the past few years, the company says.
"Expansion has always been part of our overall business strategy so as to meet the tire and automotive service needs of consumers while optimizing our annual revenue growth," says David Dobbs, president and chief operating officer.
"However, we never anticipated altering our 2003 business plan to include the construction of a new store to replace our original flagship store. The good that comes out of such a disaster is that our new store will be equipped with the latest in state-of-the-art technology to more efficiently conduct business and staffed to ensure our customers' total satisfaction."
Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers Inc. the 30th largest independent tire store chain, according to Modern Tire Dealer research.
