SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — While growth by acquisition is all the rage these days, Reinalt-Thomas Group is doing it the old-fashioned way: one new store at a time, repeated 30 to 40 — or more — times a year.
The Scottsdale-based company, which goes to market under the Discount Tire and America's Tire brands, recently opened a store in Grand Forks, N.D., its 25th new store in the past seven months and first in North Dakota, the 38th state where it now operates..
The new store, built on the site of a former Pizza Hut in southern Grand Forks, boosts the dealership's network to 1,144 stores nationwide. Michael Vanella was named the store's manager.
Local news reports in North Dakota indicate a second store, in Fargo, could open later this year or early in 2024..
Grand Forks is a city of 60,000 residents located on the Minnesota River and on the border with Minnesota. Discount Tire's move into North Dakota comes five years after the dealership opened its first store in neighboring South Dakota, in Sioux City.
Roughly half of the new stores opened since November opened in Texas, pushing Discount Tire's presence in the Lone Star State to 265 outlets. The dealership also has opened multiple stores in Washington, boosting the total in the Evergreen State to 32 locations.
Asked for comment on the growth in these two states, Discount Tire/Americas' Tire stated: "Expanding in markets of population growth or where there is an opportunity to serve a greater number of customers by increasing our density are key areas of focus for Discount Tire's expansion plans."
The dealership said its goal this year is to open 30 to 40 stores.
At 1,144 points of sale, Discount Tire is the No. 3 independent retail tire dealership in the U.S., trailing Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. and Monro Inc. in terms of number of outlets. The Scottsdale-based company leads in revenue, though, with over $6.4 billion in sales in 2021.
