Meineke to source tires via 'Pep Express'

SAN DIEGO (April 20, 2016) – Meineke Car Care Centers L.L.C. is tapping into “TreadSmart,” a wholesale tire procurement program with Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack's wholesale business unit, as an additional source of tire supply for its 900-plus locations nationwide.

The new agreement, which launches with the approval of the Meineke Dealers Association (MDA), is with Pep Express Parts – the wholesale business unit of Pep Boys – which is being combined with parts distributor Auto Plus under the ownership of Icahn Enterprises L.L.C.

Pep Boys calls Pep Express a trusted parts and tire supplier in business since 1921.

The program offers a dozen brands, including its own Definity, Futura and Cornell brands, according to a flyer posted on the MDA website. These three brands, plus Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Starfire brand, are listed as the “good” tires in the TreadSmart program's good-better-best offerings.

The better brands are Cooper, Falken, General and Hankook, while the best category comprises BF Goodrich, Continental, Michelin and Pirelli.

The Pep Express TreadSmart program exists alongside the Meineke ExTRA tire sourcing plan the franchisor set up in 2014 with Cooper Tire. 

The TreadSmart program offers Meineke franchisees negotiated national account pricing and rebates earned on monthly minimum of $1,000 qualified purchases – 14 percent monthly rebate paid directly to dealers; 3.5 percent net rebate paid quarterly to MDPCI; and 1 percent annual rebate paid to MDPCI for a loyalty trip.

A Pep Express flyer notes that 70 percent of Meineke dealers are located within five miles of a Pep Express location, which plays well with Pep Express' “hot shot” delivery system. There are more than 460 Pep Express delivery locations nationwide.