Despite a tough economy, Portland, Ore.-based Tire Factory LLC has increased its sales by more than 10% this year, John Kreidel, the program group's CEO, told www.moderntiredealer.com earlier today.
Kreidel believes the 240-member group will carry that momentum into 2011.
Tire Factory has six key objectives in 2011, he said. "We need a strong point-of-sale system. We're also behind the eight-ball regarding our Web presence. We're in the middle of redoing our Web site."
Developing a "common merchandising and marketing strategy" is the organization's third goal. "We are creating ad materials that are integrated. We're working with tire manufacturers to select what we call a 'preferred group' of vendors."
Another goal is boosting same store sales by 18%. "We're having a great year. Our dealers, for the most part, are doing well."
Tire Factory also wants to improve on what Kreidel called "the basic fundamentals of distribution. We're looking at our highest-moving SKUs and internal service metrics."
The group's sixth goal is to improve its communication with members. "When you are in a member-owned environment, communication can be tough. We have commissioned a third party survey to objectively measure how our members view our communication."
Tire Factory would like to add at least 20 new members next year, Kreidel added. "We recently had two members join in Colorado. I see our Colorado presence continuing to grow."
