Press Releases

Groupe Touchette Inc. Enters into Long-Term Partnership with Dealer Tire, LLC for Technology Support Services for Canadian Operations

July 11, 2016

Groupe Touchette InC. Announces Agreement to Acquire ALL Assets of Dealer Tire Canada ULC and Enters Into Long-Term Partnership with Dealer Tire LLC For Technology Support Services FOR CANADIAN OPERATIONS   July 11, 2016 – Groupe Touchette Inc. (“Groupe Touchette”) and Dealer Tire Canada ULC (“Dealer Tire Canada”) announced that they have entered into an agreement in which Groupe Touchette will purchase the assets of Dealer Tire Canada and assume the Dealer Tire model, offering dedicated merchandising, marketing, and tire wholesale services for the Canadian car dealer channel. Groupe Touchette and Dealer Tire LLC also have agreed to enter into a long-term Technology Services Agreement whereby the companies will partner to support current Dealer Tire Canada OEM programs with value-added tools and technology to drive sales and support at Canadian-based dealerships. The transaction is scheduled to close on August 31, 2016, at which time all assets and contracts will be transferred to Groupe Touchette. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “We are very excited about our collaborative agreement with Groupe Touchette,” stated Scott Mueller, Chief Executive Officer of Dealer Tire LLC. “We were thoughtful in choosing a partner that we believed would continue to provide superior service to our OEM and dealer customers while also having a similar culture where our employees would continue to thrive.” “Our ultimate objective is to create a team with one single goal in mind: offer the best service to OEMs and their car dealer networks in Canada,” said Nicolas Touchette, Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Touchette Inc. “We look forward to expanding our business and servicing Dealer Tire Canada’s OEM and dealer customers.” Upon closing, Groupe Touchette, with its market knowledge and logistical network, will operate from over 25 warehouses across Canada, enhancing the service level to existing Dealer Tire Canada customers.   About Groupe Touchette Inc.   Groupe Touchette Inc., privately owned by Nicolas Touchette and Frédéric Bouthillier, has been in the tire industry in Canada for more than 35 years. They focus on added-value tire distribution and are one of only three existing national providers. With headquarters in Montréal, Groupe Touchette counts more than 350 employees throughout the country. Groupe Touchette Inc. operates tire distribution sell-out programs (“TireLink” and “dt tire”) as well as retail banners (“Tireland/IciPneu”, “Touchette pneu mécanique”). www.grtouchette.com   About Dealer Tire Canada ULC   Dealer Tire Canada ULC is a division of Dealer Tire, LLC, which was founded in 1999 by the then-owners of the former Mueller Tire & Brake, a Cleveland-area retail chain founded in 1918. Dealer Tire manages replacement tire and parts programs for more than 20 automotive OEMs. It serves more than 10,000 car dealerships from 42 distributions centers across the U.S. and Canada.