Introduction

The economic situation has had an impact on the tire market in Western Europe, with tire sales dropping during the tough economic climate of 2009. There is the potential for an increase in the value of the Western European tire market by manufacturers and retailers as well as premium and mid-range tires.

Features and benefits

• Achieve revenue growth by understanding the forecast sales performance of tires by country and adjusting business development plans accordingly.
• Uncover new distribution opportunities for your products by identifying which types of retailers are most successful in each country and why.
• Improve your product mix and hence revenues by gaining insight into what types of tire, winter or summer, are proving popular, by country and region.
• Decide which developing technologies will enhance your forward strategy by understanding the hot topics of today’s tire industry.
• Develop new strategies to counteract the influx of budget tires into Europe by understanding where they are most popular and why.

Highlights

New tire labeling legislation, due to be introduced in November 2012, will have a profound effect on the European tire market as it speaks to the core concerns of consumers: cost, quality, and safety.

Tire specialists are the preferred distribution outlet in all Western European countries and this is not expected to change by 2015. In each country over 50% of sales are made through these channels, except in Switzerland, which recorded 46% of sales in 2011.

Winter tire opportunities had been explored in the Alpine regions of Switzerland and Austria and so sales of winter tires were not able to maintain the tire markets in these countries throughout the recession. Volume fell by 14% and 12% respectively. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the recovery was more rapid as these sales buoyed the market.

Your key questions answered

• What events will have the largest impact on the European tire industry by 2015 and why?
• Which countries have the highest penetration by winter tires and how was this achieved?
• What is the average annual spend by consumers on tires, by country?
• What are the consumer behaviors regarding retailer and tire brand selection in the European tire market, by country?
• What are the market shares of the key distribution channels for tires, by country?