When American Tire Distributors announced it had purchased Target Tire Inc., 123 American Car Care Center (ACCC) dealers were left wondering how they would be serviced because the program is not assignable and non-transferable.
Len Lewin, ACCC president and COO, has taken care of the problem. "Two of our existing members have stepped up already," he says. In the interim, Terry´s Tire Town will supply the affected Virginia and North Carolina dealers out of its Baltimore distribution center. AMPAC Southeast will take care of Georgia and South Carolina dealers out of its Birmingham, Ala., center.
Lewin says the official reassignment of the territory should be complete by mid-September. Having an existing member dealer (or member dealers) take over the implementation of the program is one possibility. Going outside the ACCC family is another. "Our intention is to retain all these dealers."
ACCC went through this before when American Tire Distributors purchased Merchant´s Inc.´s wholesale division. At the time of the sale, Merchant´s was ACCC´s largest member.
The sale of Target Tire leaves ACCC with 18 member distributors representing 1,104 dealers. "It´s never easy to lose someone who´s been that supportive," says Lewin. "But life and business goes on."
