ATD buys Ontario wholesaler WTD

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Dec. 16, 2013) — American Tire Distributors Holdings Inc. (ATD) has acquired Wholesale Tire Distributors Inc. (WTD), a Vaughan, Ontario-based company with two distribution centers serving customers southern Ontario.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

WTD's distribution centers Vaughan and Stoney Creek, Ontario will complement ATD's existing distribution footprint in the province, which it built earlier this through the acquistion of Regional Tire Distributors Inc. (RTD) of Burlington, Ontario.

Established in 2002, WTD has grown from one small warehouse in north Toronto to the two 50,000-sq.-ft. centers it operates today, ATD said, servicing approximately 2,300 customers. ATD did not say how many employees WTD has or comment on its annual sales volume or status of WTD's Tire Choice associate dealer program under ATD's ownership.

“WTD has an excellent reputation amongst its customers and suppliers for its coverage of the Southern Ontario region,” said ATD President and CEO William Berry. “Our goal is to provide unsurpassed service and product availability to customers across Canada, and this is an important step in achieving that goal.”

This is ATD's third acquisition in Canada in the past two years.

It entered the Canadian market in November 2012 by purchasing Triwest Trading Canada Ltd., which does business as TriCan Tire Distributors (TriCan) and added RTD in May.

ATD claims a 9-percent share of the Canadian replacement market for passenger and light truck tires, according its third quarter 10K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ATD did not disclose its revenue in Canada, but said in the same filing the addition of TriCan and RTD contributed to $108 million in incremental business during the three months ended Sept. 30.

ATD said it will run its Canadian operation as a standalone business unit, based in Burlington, Ontario, with Mike Kustra — originally president of RTD Ontario — as president.