Modern Tire Dealer 100 MTD: There’s a big push to accelerate the electrification of vehicles and that will have an impact on tire design and construction. What impact will electric vehicles have on independent tire dealerships? How is Discount Tire preparing for the all-electric future that people believe will materialize at some point? Muglia: We see electrification coming fast and autonomous vehicles probably a fast-follow after that. It’s going to change the landscape of the automotive industry. We don’t offer a full suite of (auto repair) services so we can be selective on those services that we do offer. Electrification is one area we can look at in terms of additional offerings. Certainly windshield wiper blades are something vehicles of the future will need. We’re taking the needs of consumers today and tomorrow into consideration. MTD: What can we expect to see from Discount Tire during the second half of 2021? Muglia: With store growth, we traditionally
the interiors. We’re looking at replacing traditional signage with digital options. And we’re really focused on keeping each customer safe. I think you’ll continue to see how Discount Tire evolves in how we look and how we go to market.
Discount Tire recently rolled out a mobile tread depth detection system.
target 50 new locations each year. During the pandemic, we slowed down a little, but we’ve restarted our engines and are moving at full speed. We’re looking at modernizing our stores a little bit more, including some of
MTD: What’s your take on the current state of the retail tire market? Muglia: I would say it’s generally positive. We’re seeing vaccinations continue to roll out. We’re seeing states and economies reopen. There’s a lot of stimulus in the market right now from the government. People want to get out and do road trips. We’re starting to see gas consumption return to more traditional levels. There are a lot of positives. Now there are certainly some headwinds. Supply chain constraints are a bit of a headwind — getting product from overseas — but we’re managing through that. But overall, we see the second half of the year to be pretty strong for our industry. We’re pretty excited. ■
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