ATLANTA — Apollo Tyres Ltd. has taken its Vredestein brand to the Great White North.
Apollo has signed an exclusive agreement with Canadian Tire Corp., making Vredestein-brand tires available at each of the more than 500 Canadian Tires stores that stretch west to British Columbia; north to the Yukon and Northwest Territories; east to Newfoundland and Labrador; and south to southernmost Ontario.
Canadian Tire, which traces its roots 101 years ago when it operated as Hamilton Tire and Garage, a well-known retail store that sells a variety of products, including those in automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares. Apollo said the company is the largest retailer of passenger and light truck tires in Canada.
Vredestein was founded in 1909 in the Netherlands, originally producing bicycle tires. Apollo acquired the brand in 2009, and in 2021, the company re-entered North America with a comprehensive launch of passenger and light truck tires designed exclusively for North America.
"It is a privilege to work with Canadian Tire as we launch Vredestein across Canada," Abhishek Bisht, assistant vice president, Americas, said.
Bisht called Canadian Tire "the perfect partner — with over 100 years of providing trusted service to Canadian consumers, they are ideally positioned to help introduce new customers to Vredestein's family of premium tires."
Apollo called the U.S. launch "a resounding success," noting the aftermarket tire performed extremely well in third-party tests.
The Indian-based tire maker, with manufacturing plants in Indian, the Netherlands and Hungary, said Canadian drivers ay now may have access to the Vredestein UHP All Season Hypertrac. The Vredestein Hypertrac, Apollo said, is perfect for climates in a large portion of North America.
Its tread design, the company said, optimizes water evacuation, while the tread compound enhances wet grip without compromising dry performance.
