Canadian Tire will launch two General brand tire lines supplied by Continental Tire North America Inc. (CTNA) this spring as part of a deal that CTNA officials are calling a "major strategic advance."

"This new partnership will have a boosting effect on the expansion of (CTNA's) market share in Canada," says Guy Hardiman, CTNA’s general market manager for Canada.

The two lines combined will provide more than 70% coverage of the passenger tire replacement market in Canada, according to CTNA officials.

"This is a major strategic advance for the General brand in Canada," says Andreas Gerstenberger, CTNA’s executive vice president, sales and marketing.

"It provides us a balanced channel strategy while increasing our footprint in the Canadian marketplace, while allowing us to reach a greater number of Canadian consumers."