Tire Discounters grows again, adds Skip Cottrell's

SOMERSET, Ky. — Tire Discounters, the sole family-owned-and-operated retail tire dealership among the nation's 10 largest retail tire chains in the U.S., has grown again, acquiring Skip Cottrell's Tire in West Somerset, Ky.

Financial details were not disclosed.

Tire Discounters now operates more than 190 stored, including 16 in the Lexington, Ky., market.

Skip Cottrell, who founded the store in 1991, is retiring, but Tire Discounters said he will serve as a consultant to the dealership. The location, formerly Skip Cottrell's Tire Pros, has been rebranded as Skip's Tire Discounters.

The shop will continue to offer its current services and the sales staff will be retained. The shop will offer all of the Tire Discounters services, including free alignment with the purchase and installation of a set of four tires.

Jamie Ward, president and CEO of Tire Discounters, said the Cottrell family's commitment to the community drove the acquisition, and said the company is "thrilled that Skip is staying on to consult as we transition."

"We look for companies that align with our family values," Ward said. "At Tire Discounters, we are always focused on providing an unparalleled customer experience, something that Skip Cottrell's Tire has been doing in the Somerset area for three decades. We think of this as an opportunity to use the resources at our disposal to preserve and improve on that existing service for this community."

Cottrell said the community has been great to the family and employees since it opened.

"I feel that Tire Discounters was a natural next step because of the company's dedication to carrying on its customer-friendly tradition with the community and giving our employees the best opportunity possible going forward in this industry," Cottrell said.

Last December, Tire Discounters acquired Leete Tire & Auto Center Inc., a Richmond, Va.-based family-owned dealership with six retail stores throughout the central part of the commonwealth.