Sun Auto acquires T.O. Haas Tire, Bruce's Tire

PHOENIX — The acquisitions just keep on coming for Sun Auto Tire & Service.

The Phoenix-based dealership has nearly doubled in size in 2021 after acquiring two more family-owned dealerships: T.O. Haas Tire & Auto Co., with 27 locations in Nebraska and Kansas, and Bruce's Tire & Auto Service, with seven locations in northern California.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

This comes a day after Sun Auto closed a deal to buy Delta World Tire, the New Orleans-based family-owned dealership with 17 stores in Louisiana and Mississippi, and less than three weeks after it announced it was acquiring Plaza Tire Service of Cape Girardeu, Mo., and its 70 locations across Missouri, southern Illinois, western Kentucky and northern Arkansas, as well as Plaza's wholesale business.

Sun Auto, which began the year as GB Automotive with 174 locations, now has more than 350 stores entering the last two weeks of the year.

These latest four acquisitions expand Sun Auto's reach into nine new states. All acquisition will continue to operate under their respective brands.

Tony Puckett, CEO of Sun Auto Tire, said as his company approaches well-known independent brands, "we evaluate to determine if the potential acquisition would strategically position our company to further the overall portfolio. These four tire-focused businesses perfectly align with our accelerated geographic growth.

"Our passion is to create outstanding customer service experiences across all locations, and these trusted partnerships will allow us to cultivate existing relationships and create new ones in order to be the nation's leading provider of quality aftermarket automotive repair and tires."

T.O. Haas Tire was founded in Lincoln, Neb., in 1947, by the company's namesake, T.O. Haas, and has grown to 27 locations in three states. Randy Haas and George Hoellen are listed as owners, with Mr. Hoellen serving as president.

It has seven locations in Lincoln and two in Omaha, Neb.

Family-owned Bruce's Tire & Auto Service operates seven locations, including outlets in Oakland, Fremont and San Jose, Calif. The dealership — a member of the Independent Tire Dealers Group — was founded in 1936; it's been run of late by Richard Howard.

All told, Sun Auto Tire has acquired 11 automotive service brands in 2021, pushing it to No. 7 in North America, ranked by number of locations. During the 12 months, it has established coast-to-coast reach, entering 12 new states and adding 180 store fronts to its portfolio.

Chris Garman, Sun's Vice President of Business Development, said acquisitions remain the cornerstone of the dealership's growth strategy.

"...And we take pride in partnering with successful brands, ranging from one to 70 locations, that help to strengthen our identity as the most reliable company in automotive care," Mr. Garman said.

"We believe in the value of each acquisition and understand the strong history that accompanies them. Leveraging the power of local brands and retaining the employees, combined with investing in systems and bringing purchasing power, we add to their success and their local reputations," he said.

Mr. Puckett called 2021 a year "of rapid growth in new and existing markets," and said despite the industry challenges, he said the "trajectory going into 2022 is strong as we look to expand our presence across the country."