HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Auto Centers is working with Amazon.com to provide full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon.com.
The service will be rolling out to customers across the U.S. over the coming weeks. In addition, Sears' DieHard all-season passenger tires will debut on Amazon.com.
With this collaboration, Sears Auto said it will become the first nationwide auto service center to offer Amazon.com customers a ship-to-store tire solution integrated into the Amazon.com checkout process.
Amazon customers will be able to select their tires, the Sears Auto location and their preferred date and time for the tire installation. Sears Auto Centers then will contact them to confirm their appointment, the companies said.
Sears Auto Centers said its locations will provide installation and conduct a free multi-point Performance Snapshot on the vehicle.
The new ship-to-store capability initially is available at 47 Sears Auto Centers in eight metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington.
Following the initial launch, Sears Auto Centers will offer the service to Amazon.com customers through its 400-plus Sears Auto Centers nationwide.
The companies said the collaboration stems from a growing relationship between Sears and Amazon.com that began in July when Sears began selling Kenmore appliances on Amazon.com.
"Kenmore is now distributed nationally on Amazon with over 250 products and we are exceeding customer service level expectations," said Tom Park, president of Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands at Sears Holdings.
Last December, DieHard products, such as jump starters and battery chargers, were added to Amazon.com; DieHard Advanced Gold AGM automotive batteries were added in February.