Tire Alliance Groupe May 20, 2016 Press Release - 05/20/2016

PRESS RELEASE

Tire Alliance Groupe Florham Park, NJ

(May 20, 2016)

The Tire Alliance Groupe “TAG” recently held its Member/Vendor Spring Meeting in New Orleans, LA and announced that it is commemorating its 20th year of being in business. As the premier buying group in the industry, TAG is planning to celebrate this milestone at its member and vendor fall meeting in New York City later in the year.

Paul Alves, President of the Tire Alliance Groupe, LTD (“TAG”), stated that the group has certainly changed over the years in terms of membership, scope and programs. “Each year is a challenge as we continue to grow. There are different requirements in terms of member needs, vendor programs, and commitments on both sides. And as the industry has really been flat as it relates to retail sales, we have been fortunate to have the member dedication to continue to grow with our preferred vendors”.

Alves presented record revenue results for 2015 to its membership. For the 5th year in a row the group had substantial revenue growth and paid out record dividends to its members. TAG distributed more than $12 million in rebates and bonuses, “We have worked hard to have the right vendors and programs that not only are very strong partners but deliver high value in terms of buying opportunities and support. We have been able to structure these programs where we are maximizing bonus’ with the group’s volume leverage and buying power”.

TAG’s strong base of large regional retailers & distributors continues to be the key to the group’s success. Alves expressed his appreciation for the great support that the membership has given to the group’s programs over the past several years. He attributes the group’s gains to the quality and market dominance of its members, as well as the enhancement of the group’s existing preferred vendor programs and the addition of new supplier programs. “Our growth is not only attributed to the existing members taking on more programs from our product portfolio but also to the addition of key new members and new vendor programs” Alves stated.

In 2015 TAG added 2 new strategic members. Mavis Tire Supply based out of Millwood, NY joined the group through its acquisition of Somerset Tire Service and added an additional 163 retail locations to the membership store count in the NY, NJ, PA area. Mavis along with the existing STS stores now make up a total of 320+ locations in this region. The second member to join the TAG program was Express Oil Company/Tire Engineers based out of Birmingham, AL. Express Oil Co. operates a total of 257 retail locations throughout the South-East region. Forty one locations operate under the Tire Engineers platform and the remaining stores are branded under the Express Oil platform. These new members have added to TAG’s national footprint and have increased the group’s total number of retail outlets to well over 2,500 stores.

While TAG’s growth has been strong according to Alves, he also emphasized that the group continues to look at expansion opportunities in markets where strategic additions make good business sense and strengthens the relationships TAG enjoys with its’ vendors partners. TAG has been in business for 20 years and has grown into a highly respected buying group in the industry. It currently consists of 16 members spanning most of the US.