PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.—TBC Corp. has converted its Tire Kingdom-branded retail stores in states outside of Florida to the company's NTB Tire & Service Centers brand.
The rebranding affects 64 Tire Kingdom locations in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Vermont.
TBC said it will continue to conduct retail business as Tire Kingdom Service Centers in Florida, where it has 191 outlets.
Switching these stores to the NTB name will expand the NTB network to more than 400 stores, TBC said.
TBC also uses the Merchant's Tire & Auto Service Centers retail identity in Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., where it operates more than 100 Merchant's stores.
The rebranding initiative includes an exterior refresh, interior redesign and delivery of a fully integrated marketing plan educating customers about the change—which will be promoted as “New Name, Same Great Service.”
“The result of this rebrand is a refreshing and inviting look and feel for all consumers,” said Markus Hockenson, senior vice president of retail operations. “While the name on the front of our stores outside of Florida has changed, our underlying commitment to customer service, premier workmanship and value-priced services remains the same.”
TBC has owned and operated Tire Kingdom stores since 2000, when it bought the Florida chain, which was founded by Chuck Curcio in 1971.
It added the NTB name and assets in 2003, buying the National Tire & Battery store chain from Sears, Roebuck and Co. for $260 million.
TBC's retail group is also active in the franchising end of the retail tire and auto service industry, through its Big O Tires L.L.C. and Midas and SpeeDee Oil Change and Auto Service businesses. In all TBC counts more than 2,700 retail locations under its umbrella.
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