SAUGUS, Mass. (Aug 5, 2014) — Sullivan Tire & Auto Service will open a new outlet in Saugus later this summer, its 66th retail location in New England.
The building was formerly occupied by a Meineke Car Care franchise, Sullivan Tire said, and is undergoing a complete renovation by the Norwell, Mass.-based tire dealership before opening. The 6,400-sq.-ft. facility will house nine service bays and be staffed by up to 10 full-time employees and ASE-certified master technicians.
Sullivan Tire offers complete auto service and repair, brand-name tires and auto parts, and free shuttle service for customers.
The dealership said it will soon release details about a grand-opening celebration for the Saugus location that will include giveaways, refreshments, special discounts and a raffle. That outlet will be Sullivan's 36th in Massachusetts. Saugus is a town of about 26,000 in Essex County north of Boston.
A spokeswoman for Sullivan Tire told Tire Business that although the dealership opened last October what was at the time its 67th outlet, in Weymouth, Mass., it subsequently closed two locations last winter.
And according to Mark E Sullivan, head of marketing/advertising for Sullivan Tire, a store in Watertown, Mass., was closed. “They wanted more money when we went to renew the lease and it was too expensive.”
He added that Sullivan Tire also shuttered a store in Biddeford, Maine, that did business as Haley's Tire & Service Center. It had been one of five former Haley's Tire locations operating in Maine that were acquired by Sullivan. “They (were) a smaller independent tire dealer, much like ourselves,” he said. “When we took them over, their Biddeford location was 500 yards up the road from our Biddeford location, so it didn't make sense to keep both.”
Sullivan Tire is a family-owned business started by Robert J. Sullivan in 1955.