SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Reinalt-Thomas Corp. has merged the activities of its Discount Tire Direct online business with those of its Tire Rack subsidiary, which now will be the company's sole direct-to-consumer (D2C) online sales platform.
Discount Tire Direct customers were notified April 12 of the change, which Reinalt-Thomas said was made because Tire Rack offers consumers access to "exhaustive testing data and arsenal of robust customer reviews," making the South Bend, Ind.-based business the "ideal source to help customers … research and find the perfect tires, wheels or automotive accessories. …"
Reinalt-Thomas acquired Tire Rack Inc. in December 2021, saying at that time the deal would "accelerate our omni-channel strategy, provide a broader distribution network and a platform to enhance our B2B and fleet capabilities."
Since then the company has since been working to combine the best of each online tire and wheel sales platforms into an "unrivaled customer experience for online shoppers."
Discount Tire Direct previously served as an online tires and wheels purchasing channel for customers outside the trade areas of Discount Tire's 1,200-plus retail stores.
Customers who visit discounttiredirect.com are redirected to tirerack.com.
Discount Tire customers who live near a Discount Tire or America's Tire retail location can continue to make tire and wheel purchases online at discounttire.com and have their products shipped to a company retail store, Reinalt-Thomas said.
Those customers who are interested in having their tires or wheels shipped directly to them or — particularly if outside the Discount Tire/America's Tire store footprint — an installer of their choice can shop and purchase through Tire Rack.
Reinalt-Thomas also is using Tire Rack as the primary test platform for its growing mobile tire-fitting business model.
