Belle Tire opens 2 Flint, Mich., area stores

(Belle Tire Distributors Inc. photos)
Belle Tire's Grand Blanc, Mich., store is its sixth in the Flint, Mich., metropolitan area.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (Dec. 4, 2013) — Belle Tire Distributors Inc. opened retail stores in Lapeer and Grand Blanc, Mich., in recent weeks and is preparing to open another in Fort Gratiot, Mich., before year-end or early in 2014.

The Lapeer and Grand Blanc stores are Belle's fifth and sixth in the Flint, Mich., metro area, and bring Belle's retail store network to 88 locations—84 in Michigan and four in Ohio.

Both stores are 10,000-sq.-ft. facilities housing 10 service bays, including two full alignment pits, and a mezzanine warehouse built to hold more than 3,000 tires, according to Belle.

The Grand Blanc location is led by manager Andy Tamm, a Belle Tire veteran who most recently was the assistant manager of Belle's Lake Orion location. He oversees a team of 19 at that location.

Belle Tire Distributors Inc. photo

Like its companion store in Lapeer, Mich., Belle's Grand Blanc Both store is a 10,000-sq.-ft. outlet housing 10 service bays, including two full alignment pits, and a mezzanine warehouse built to hold more than 3,000 tires.

Jeff Braun, a 40-year tire industry veteran, manages the Lapeer store and its team of 20 tire technicians, sales associates, automotive technicians and auto glass technicians. He moves to the Lapeer store from Belle's Austins Parkway location in Flint, where he was manager.

Besides tires and custom wheels, Belle Tire offers alignments, brakes, batteries, oil changes, shocks and struts, auto glass repair and replacement, etc. All automotive repair services, including oil changes, are performed by Automotive Service Excellence-certified mechanics.

The new stores are in addition to five stores opened last year and are part of a broader expansion and modernization program Belle Tire is carrying out.

The dealership did not disclose its investment in the stores.

Belle Tire retail stores are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Allen Park, Mich.-based Belle Tire also operates two retail/commercial centers, three commercial-only centers and two retread plants.

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