En Englais: Costa Rica's Reenfrio Comercial planning up to 40 tire-store-with-a-store locations

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—Reenfrio Comercial Automotriz S.A., a commercial/retail tire dealership and retreader based in San Jose, plans to create as many as 40 small tire stores, dubbed “Pit Stop,” within its own locations and those of some of its tire dealer customers.

The initial tire-store-within-a-store locations will be operated by Reenfrio but the plan calls for the dealership to extend the concept to some of its wholesale tire dealer customers, which will operate them as joint ventures with Reenfrio.

The Pit Stop areas will have their own logo and offer only tires, alignments and balancing.

Reenfrio launched the first Pit Stop location in April in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, and the company would like to open as many as eight to 10 a year, said Jose Frederico Angelo Rodriguez, the company's CEO.

 The goal is to gain better control of the firm's tire inventory by housing tires in the Pit Stop stores instead of in its two warehouses and to promote Reenfrio's growing auto service business.

The Pit Stop locations also will help with the collection of worn truck tires for Reenfrio's retreading operation and broaden the dealership's marketing territory.

Tire Business learned about the dealership's plans in interviews with Mr. Rodriguez and his brother Miguel, manager of marketing, while attending Tyrexpo 2015 April 29-May 1 in San Jose, where Reenfrio had a booth on the trade show floor.

Reenfrio Comercial operates seven retail and commercial outlets in Costa Rica, including its newest location in Puerto Viejo near Guapiles that opened in April. The other locations are in San Jose, San Carlos, Nicoya, San Isidro del General and Cartago. The outlets sell passenger, 4 by 4, truck/bus, OTR and agricultural tires.

In addition, the dealership operates a retread plant in San Jose producing 3,000 to 4,000 retreaded truck, agricultural and OTR tires a month, according to Miguel Rodriguez. The plant uses the H.B. Plus Bandamatic retreading system.

The company, which employs 130, was founded 45 years ago and is the main distributor of Bridgestone tires in Costa Rica. Bridgestone Costa Rica S.A. has operated a plant in San Jose since 1967 that produces car, light truck, truck/bus and ag tires.

The dealership also offers Winrun, Lanvigator and Frideric new tires made in China. Miguel Rodriguez said the company also would like to add a lower cost, premium tire line from China.