Gills Point S Tire & Auto Service is led by Eric Gill, the company's president. Gill also serves as the current chairman of the board of dealers for Point S dealers in the U.S. And as of Sept. 1, Gill's business, based in The Dalles, Ore., has bought all of Nokian's company-owned stores in the U.S. They're located in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts.
“Point S has a great, and growing relationship with Nokian Tyres,” says Gill. “When the opportunity arose to take over the Vianor stores, we thought it would be the perfect time to bring the Point S Tire & Auto name into a new market.”
The acquisition gives Gill 27 stores — with 17 in Oregon, and 10 in the Northeastern U.S.
Clearly, Point S sees this as a path to once again expand its footprint. The organization has worked to move from the West Coast eastward, adding locations and dealers in Oklahama and Tennessee most recently.
Point S USA CEO Walter Lybeck says, “We are excited to be able to work with great partners like Nokian Tyres and Eric Gill, who truly represents the strong values shared among independents. Our Members believe Point S is the best branded Independent tire dealer group nationwide and having partners like Nokian Tyres is critical to this equation. We are looking forward to the opportunities this growth creates for other independents who wish to join Point S in the Northeast.”
Gill, Point S and Nokian all have a longstanding relationship. The Point S dealers collectively in the U.S. are Nokian's largest customer.
Nokian has operated the Vianor locations in the U.S. since 2007 when it acquired five locations of Goss Tire Co. Jason Phelps, president of Vianor in the Americas, says, “the entire Vianor team is excited to adopt the Gills Point S Tire & Auto Service banner while continuing to serve our communities and loyal customers.”
“We think the store locations fit our DNA,” says Gill. “Many of the Vianor stores are servicing smaller towns, similar to our locations in Oregon. We pride ourselves on bringing excellent retail and commercial service to our communities and offer pricing on par with big chains, all while staying independently owned.”
Gill says the Vianor employees will remain on staff and all of the locations will remain open. The stores will be rebranded to the Gills Point S Tire & Auto Service name, and the stores will continue to service any existing Vianor warranties.
