Dealers reported a boost in tire sales in February. But by March, new tire sales had slipped. What else did automotive industry analysts John Healy and Nick Mitchell find in our exclusive monthly survey?
* Tire selling prices and tire costs: Prices remain resilient
* Inventories: Levels remain high
* Service revenues: A bright spot
Their complete report is in the May issue of Modern Tire Dealer. Here’s an excerpt:
“After reporting a modest sales lift in February, the dealers we surveyed indicated that soft sales trends reemerged during March. Indeed, we were disappointed with the responses from our survey as we thought that there was a good chance that momentum would build from February’s improvement — especially as the disbursement of tax refunds normalized and the price of gasoline fell throughout the month.
"Alas, it did not prove to be the case, as many dealers reported that any positive traction that they had seen in the first two months of the year evaporated.”
For the full story, see Service sales are seen as a bright spot in an otherwise soft market.
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