Winter tires
No snow needed
to sell
Educate consumers on safety to bring in winter tire sales and additional profit centers By Bob Bissler
W
eather alert: The United States is experiencing a mild winter with less snow. But that doesn’t mean winter tire sales should suffer. In areas of the country that experience cold temperatures, there is still a market for winter tires even without major snowfall. And when you can sell winter tires, you can sell other services along with them such as tire storage and a second set of wheels.
The Canadian perspective
Winter tire sales are a three-season project. You order them in the spring so you can get them in the fall for use in the winter. In Canada, the winter tire market represents a greater percentage of the total market than it does in the U.S. It also
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is defined differently. According the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC), winter tire shipments in 2011 totaled 7 million units, down 1.2% compared to 2010. They still accounted for nearly 38% of total replacement passenger and light truck tire shipments. In the U.S., winter tire shipments were up. According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), passenger tires with traction and snow traction treads totaled 9.5 million units, up 9.2% compared to the previous year. However, they represent less than 5% of total replacement passenger tire shipments. (The RMA does not include light truck tires in its winter tire statistics.) Canada generally gets more snow than the U.S. Canada also is experiencing a winter with less snow than usual, but in certain parts of the country, that means only two feet of snow instead of six.
MTD March 2012 3/2/12 2:50 PM