DELPHOS, Ohio — K&M Tire Inc. has acquired K&W Tire Inc., a Lancaster, Pa.-based wholesaler with six distribution centers in the Northeast, including three in Pennsylvania.
K&M Tire already has taken over operations at K&W's facilities in Allentown, Chester and Lancaster, Pa.; Claremont, N.H.; Ayer, Mass.; and Beacon Falls, Conn.
The acquisition — K&M Tire's fifth in the past five years — has closed, although financial details were not disclosed.
"We've had a growing interest in expanding our distribution footprint within the Northeast market," K&M President Cheryl Gossard said."We feel that the team at K&W Tire fits our company culture and values and will be a wonderful addition to our team.
"We look forward to welcoming K&W Tire employees to the K&M Tire team and servicing the customers in this area, while making them the most important people in our business."
K&M Tire did not disclose how many employees are affected.
K&W Tire was founded in 1951 in Richard Kline and J.W. Witte. RJ's sons Dick and Ken Kline were listed most recently as CEO and president, respectively.
At its peak in the mid-2000s, K&W operated 11 wholesale and retail locations in Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Massachusetts and described itself as one of the largest Cooper Tire distributors in the nation.
Delphos-based K&M Tire is considered one of the leading tire distributors in the U.S., with 42 distribution centers through 20 states. It's part of the Best-One Tire network.
Founded by Ken Langhals in 1970, K&M Tire distributes more than 40 brands of passenger, light truck and medium truck tires, and more than a dozen brands of agricultural, industrial and specialty tires.
