Atlanta's Butler Tires joins Tire Discounters family

ATLANTA — Tire Discounters Inc. and Butler Tires & Wheels of Atlanta have forged a partnership that will boost the profile of Butler Tires' "signature" high-performance tire and wheel services, both within Tire Discounters' growing retail network and on their own accord.

Founded in 1959 by Joe and L.D. Butler as a family-owned and -operated business, Butler Tires has focused in recent years on ultra-high-performance tires, custom wheels and vehicle customization under the market moniker "Butlerized."

The agreement with Tire Discounters, the Cincinnati-based dealership with 170-plus retail points-of-sale, will increase Butler's profile beyond Georgia, allowing customers around the nation to get "Butlerized," the partners said.

Butler Tires will continue to serve the greater Atlanta metro area through its four locations there, but the dealership's signature service offerings will be extended throughout Tire Discounters' growing network. Tire Discounters has set a goal of having 200 retail stores in operation by year-end throughout its seven-state footprint.

"This partnership opens an incredible number of possibilities for what we can do together," Jamie Ward, Tire Discounters president and CEO, said. "We are looking forward to bringing the Butler experience to our customers and others across the nation."

Anna Wood, Tire Discounters' managing director, said Butler "is a natural alignment."

Craig Dobrin, vice president of operations for Butler, said finding a "like-minded company with the same values and unwavering commitment to quality and service was no easy task."

Dobrin is part of the Butler ownership group, alongside Dani Freedman, vice president of marketing, and Gary Port, vice president of sales.

"Atlanta has been our home for more than 40 years and will continue to be, but our team felt it was time to share our offering with the nation," Dobrin said. "This partnership with an industry leader like Tire Discounters builds on our ambition to become a leading source to fuel America's demand for high-performance tires, wheels and accessories."

Butler Tires' four locations are in the northern Atlanta suburbs of Alpharetta, Austell, Buckhead and Marietta.

Tire Discounters and Butler Tires declined to offer specifics about the ownership alignment under the partnership, although both referred to Butler Tires as being "part of Tire Discounters and the Wood family of brands."
 

Dobrin, Freeman and Port will continue to run Butler Tires' day-to-day business as well as work directly with the Tire Discounters team to grow the Butler business "strategically" in "select and deserving markets."

A key reason for the partnership, according to Jamie and Anna Wood, is to tap more effectively into the high-performance tire and wheel sector.

While Tire Discounters is effective at reaching 80% of the potential customer base in its business areas, the dealership, "like other tire and automotive dealers, loses the high-end vehicle customizations to specialty stores or car dealerships," they told Tire Business.

High-volume tire stores and high-end customizations "frankly don't match," they said, "so we will be bringing this amazing brand to more cities and states where both brands will complement each other while serving both our target customers in the best way possible for the optimum customer experience."

The partners intend to open stand-alone Butler Tires-badged stores in select markets, Tire Discounters said, while also incorporating Butler Tires' high-performance business practices into its existing custom wheels and accessory lineup.

With the UHP sector growing faster than the overall market, Tire Discounters said management "felt this was a perfect partnership to prepare for and capitalize on the future of the tire industry and what's coming.

This approach will require "significant investment" in equipment, hiring uniquely qualified employees and training, Tire Discounters said, along with appropriate utilization of the dealership's real estate and construction assets.