Black's Tire acquires Burlington Tire, expanding N.C. network

BURLINGTON, N.C. — Family is important to the Benton family, proprietors of Black's Tire Service (BTS), and BTS is using that mantra to grow its family again.

BTS has acquired Burlington Tire Service, a Burlington-based retail and commercial dealership that has been in business since 1973. Bill Anders, who operated Burlington Tire, has been a partner dealer of BTS for several decades, the dealerships said.

Terms were not disclosed. BTS has retained Burlington Tire's 15 employees.

"Bill Anders has always been like family to us, so when he decided to slow down a little, he wanted to team up and keep a legacy of servicing his loyal customers," Rick Benton II, vice president of Black's Tire, said.

Burlington is a city of 50,000 located between Greensboro and Durham in north central North Carolina on the northern edge of BTS' retail footprint.

BTS Vice President Ryan Benton said Burlington Tire and the Anders family have been great customers for several years.

"Not only have they been great customers but more importantly great friends," Ryan Benton said. "We are so proud to bring Mister Bill and family into our family together."

Rick Benton said his family and Mr. Anders, who has been semiretired, wanted to keep his legacy alive and thus merged. Mr. Anders will remain active for the immediate future in the business.

Rick Benton said the acquisition presents opportunities to team up with other partner dealers in the area for some satellite wholesale distribution in the area.

"We had concerns doing this during (COVID-19) pandemic of course," Rick Benton said, "but people still have to have jobs, and we have to keep people rolling. Families depend on the economy and working together."

BTS now operates more than 50 locations across North and South Carolina. Its closest store to Burlington is in Apex, N.C., about 60 miles away.

In July 2019, BTS invested $2.7 million to expand the distribution center of its BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors business in Whiteville.