Dec. 3 was a banner day for Graham Tire Co. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based dealership sold 1,971 passenger and light truck tires out of 14 stores during a 13-hour period as part of a planned promotion that benefited from some early winter weather.
"We had four lines, eight people deep" at the stores' sales counters, Jim Hamilton, Graham Tire's vice president and general manager, told moderntiredealer.com. "It was a tire salesman's dream!"
The sale had been planned for quite some time, but winter weather that blew into the Upper Plains region this past weekend sent more tire buyers than originally anticipated to Graham Tire's outlets. One store in the group sold 295 tires alone, he noted.
"We were staffed to handle additional customer demands."
In addition to tires, Graham Tire sold more than 1,700 oil changes during the 13-hour period.
"The group averaged more than 73 cars per store, with one store servicing 173 cars," said Hamilton.
"It's all about having motivated buyers and sellers. Anytime you can make that happen, the results will be explosive. A little promoting and a little luck make for a huge event."
Graham Tire is the 49th largest independent tire store chain in the United States, according to Modern Tire Dealer research.
