U.S. AutoForce buys Premier Tire of Denver

DENVER (Feb. 16, 2016) — Tire and auto parts wholesaler U.S. AutoForce has acquired the assets of Premier Tire Terminal Inc., a Denver-based family-owned company that has operated in Colorado for 76 years.

Financial terms of the deal, which closed Feb. 12, were not disclosed.

U.S. AutoForce took over operations of Premier Tire Feb. 15, according to an open letter to customers posted on Premier Tire's website.

Appleton, Wis.-based U.S. AutoForce already has two warehouses in Colorado — in Denver and Colorado Springs — with a total of 29 in 11 states.

In the letter to customers, Premier Tire principals Mary Ellen Hornbacher, John Perschbacher and Dwayne Burton said they decided to sell the business's assets “after recent changes by one of our main suppliers….” They did not elaborate.

The trio thanked its customers for their business and said, “…we're confident that U.S. AutoForce will continue to give you great service, and competitive pricing in addition to a broader, inventory selection.”

The trio called U.S. AutoForce a “company deeply committed to its customers and employees.” U.S. AutoForce is a division of U.S. Venture Inc., a distributor of energy, automotive and lubricant products in North America.

The letter did not say whether U.S. AutoForce will keep open Premier Tire's warehouses — at last report, the company had a 130,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Denver and a 20,000-sq.-ft. satellite warehouse in Monte Vista.

The company in the past said its delivery territory encompassed customers in seven states — 90 percent of Colorado, southern Wyoming, western Nebraska and Kansas, northern New Mexico and Arizona and eastern Utah.