SCRANTON, Pa. — Jack Williams Tire Co. has acquired a retail store in Scranton from McCarthy Tire Service — its second in Scranton and 37th overall — and has two more stores under way that it plans to open before year-end.
The "freshly updated and remodeled" store is an eight-bay location near downtown Scranton and located less than a mile from Jack Williams' existing store there.
Terms of the transaction with McCarthy Tire, which closed July 10, were not disclosed. All those employed by McCarthy Tire at the acquired store have joined Jack Williams Tire.
"It was our honor to complete the transaction with McCarthy Tire as both of our companies and families are committed to serving our customers, communities and associates," Jack Williams TIre President Bill Williams said, adding the Moosic, Pa.-based dealership is "always looking to expand in our existing markets and grow into new ones."
Jack Williams Tire said it will bring its "contact-free" measures to the new location, which include additional cleaning and vehicle protection, curbside drop-off service, online tire shopping and appointments and text-to-pay payments.
The dealership, now in its 91st year in business, said it broke ground recently on a store in Carlisle, Pa., and is finalizing the purchase of building in an as-yet undisclosed community that could be up and running by mid-October if the deal goes through as planned.
All of the company's retail stores are in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
Mr. Williams said Jack Williams Tire is "very flexible" with its growth strategy, looking both at greenfield expansions and acquisitions of single- or multi-location independents who are looking to sell.
"Since we are predominantly a commercial tire dealer, we find that in certain markets, stand-alone retail stores do not fit into our business model," McCarthy Tire President John McCarthy Jr. said. "In situations such as this, the decision is a difficult one. Service to our customers and our teammates' well-being are our primary goals. Jack Williams Tire & Service is a family-owned company, as we are, and we share similar values. With this transaction, we can rest assured that our customers and teammates will receive the highest quality care and service."
This is the first expansion for Jack Williams Tire since the family-owned dealership hired Sam Senuk — a 30-plus industry auto aftermarket veteran — to be its vice president of retail, tasked with overseeing the firm's retail tire and auto service locations and lead expansion efforts.
With 37 retail stores, Jack Williams Tire is among the 35 largest independent tire retailers in the U.S.
In addition to the retail stores, the dealership operates 13 JWT Wholesale warehouses serving aftermarket customers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The company also recently added a mobile tire service in selected markets under the business heading Jack Mobile Tire.
- It announced it was closing a retail store in Kingston, Pa., on Oct. 2, consolidating its operations at the firm's nearby flagship store in Wilkes-Barre. The company said the location was "particularly hard hit" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the closure was the best course of action for the store, its employees and the company as a whole.
- The dealership also announced that it is consolidating the operations of two commercial tire service location in Philadelphia to a larger facility in Levittown that it acquired in late 2019 and renovated to fit its needs; and
- It will move the retail activities at a predominantly commercial sales/service location in Lancaster, Pa., to a purely retail store in Mount Joy, located about 10 miles west of the Lancaster store.
