Sun Auto Tire Acquires Bruce's Tire in Northern California

Dec. 14, 2021

Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has added Bruce's Tire & Auto Service, an eight-location independent tire dealership in northern California, to its rapidly expanding portfolio.

In business for more than 80 years, Bruce's Tire has locations throughout the San Francisco, Calif., bay and Central Valley areas, including two stores in San Jose and individual outlets in Fremont, Oakland, Hayward, Livermore, Gilroy and Los Banos.

This acquisition, announced on Dec. 14, follows on the heels of Sun Auto Tire's announced purchase of Delta World Tire, which has 17 locations throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. (Click here to read MTD's Jan. 13 report.)

In late-November, Sun Auto Tire - which is based in Tucson, Ariz. - announced that it will acquire Plaza Tire Service Inc., a 70-store independent tire dealership that operates throughout Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky.

Several weeks earlier, Sun Auto Tire announced it had acquired Martin Tire Co., another longtime independent tire dealership. Martin Tire has locations throughout New Mexico and Texas. The purchase marked Sun Auto Tire's entry into the New Mexico market.

In a recent interview with MTD Editor Mike Manges, Chris Garman, Sun Auto Tire's vice president of business development, noted that the company intends to look for acquisitions in geographic areas outside its traditional area, the southwestern U.S.

The company's recent purchases "perfectly align with our accelerated geographic growth," says Sun Auto Tire CEO Tony Puckett, who assumed that role when Los Angeles, Calif-based private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners took majority interest in Sun Auto this past September.

To date in 2021, Sun Auto Tire has acquired 11 "automotive service brands" and has entered 12 new states, adding 180 total locations to its footprint.

“Acquisition opportunities are the cornerstone of our growth strategy and we take pride in partnering with successful brands, ranging from one to 70 locations, that help to strengthen our identity as the most reliable company in automotive care,” Garman said in a Dec. 14 statement.

“We believe in the value of each acquisition and understand the strong history that accompanies them. Leveraging the power of local brands and retaining the employees - combined with investing in systems and bringing purchasing power - we add to their success and their local reputations.”