BILOXI, Miss. (June 2, 2010) — Delta World Tire Co. Inc. held a grand opening in May for its newest retail tire and automotive service outlet, located in Biloxi.
The eight-bay, 8,000-sq.-ft. store, which opened for business in February, is Delta World's 15th tire and service shop, said company President Kevin Cates. About 4,000 square feet of the new building's space serves as a dedicated warehouse.
“We forecast that this is probably going to be one of our top five locations within the next four, five or six years,” Mr. Cates said of the outlet, which did more than $100,000 in sales its first full month in business.
The company had been looking to buy property in the area to convert into a tire shop, according to Mr. Cates, but ended up partnering with a local real estate developer to build a store from the ground up. It's only the second new construction in the company's history. The developer still owns the land and building, but Delta World has signed a lease/purchase agreement.
In addition to the Biloxi store, Delta World operates five other Mississippi locations in Pascagoula, Gulfport, Waveland and Picayune. Though Delta World has plans to add at least one more location in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area, Mr. Cates told Tire Business the company is “very happy with our market penetration” there.
He added that the company's next goal is to build up its presence in Louisiana, where its other nine stores are located. The dealership operates stores in New Orleans, Lake Charles, Lafayette, New Iberia, Houma, Kenner and Metairie, La.
Delta World has no other planned store openings, but Mr. Cates said the company will continue its expansion at a rate of about one location every 16 to 18 months.
To reach William Schertz: [email protected]; 330-865-6148.