PARIS — TBC Corp. reported a 13.1% drop in pre-tax operating income last year despite 18.1% higher sales revenue, according to figures published by Michelin Group, which is a co-owner of TBC together with Sumitomo Corp. of America.
TBC's pre-tax operating income (EBITDA) fell to $293.4 million on sales revenue of $5.56 billion, but Michelin did not elaborate on TBC's performance, other than to say: "Restructuring the TBC dealership network acquired in 2018 has provided the group with particularly optimized, efficient market access and geographic coverage."
The drop in earnings eroded the operating ratio two points to 5.3%.
TBC declined to comment on the results.
Michelin became a co-owner of TBC in January 2018, when it acquired a 50% ownership stake in the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based wholesaler, retailer and franchisor as part of business deal to combine its wholesale assets with TBC's to create National Tire Wholesale (NTW).
The NTW business combined Michelin's 85 TCi Tire Centers and TBC Corp.'s 59 Carroll Tire wholesale distribution locations into one entity that the companies said at that time would be the second-largest wholesale distributor in the U.S.
Sumitomo Corp. of America (SCOA), holds the other 50% ownership stake in TBC.
The Michelin fiscal 2022 documents show TBC's assets valued at $2.26 billion, up 31% over that shown in 2021.
TBC's Big O Tires unit recently disclosed it expects 10 new Big O stores to open in the first quarter, although it didn't elaborate on where or whether they would be opened by existing or new franchisees.
And more recently, the company disclosed it had divested 13 Big O Tires outlets it operated in the Kansas City metropolitan area to MFA Oil Co. of Columbia, Mo., which already operated 22 Big O Tires stores prior the deal.
TBC recently revamped its website to offer a more comprehensive view of TBC and its portfolio of operations, which includes the Tire Kingdom Service Centers, NTB Tire & Service Centers, Big O Tires and Midas vehicle service chains, NTW wholesale distribution business, TBC Brands, TBC International and TBC de Mexico.
