JUNO BEACH, Fla. (May 18, 2009) — Tire Kingdom International Inc. (TKI) has stopped importing and distributing the Fate brand, ending a relationship with the brand's maker, Fate S.a.i.c. of Buenos Aires, Argentina, that stretches back to the early 1990s.
TKI started phasing out the brand about a year ago and has nearly depleted all remaining inventory, according to TKI Vice President Lenny Friedman, who explained Fate no longer was able to deliver tires priced competitively for the U.S. market.
Instead, TKI is focusing on its own Cyclone brand, which it launched in 2006 to replace the Hallmark brand Goodyear was phasing out, and the Triangle brand, which it purchases directly from the manufacturer, Triangle Group Co. Ltd. It also distributes a limited range of Viago AS car tires it sources from China.
TKI is part of Tire Kingdom, which in turn is part of TBC Corp.
Fate continues to sell its range of car, light and medium truck, farm and OTR tires throughout South America. The firm is among the 50 largest tire makers worldwide, with 2007 sales of $224 million.