We are the experts”

We are the experts”

Motor vehicle economy: A stagnating market is increasingly leading to pure cut-throat competition, which is carried out through a price war. Is the “lowest price” the measure of all things?
Michael Peschek:As in every industry, positioning is also required in the tire retail trade. Only one can be the cheapest and therefore this positioning is not desirable. If you consider that the red-white-red politics does not exactly bless our country with locational advantages, you almost have to admit that we don't need to strive for this positioning. We have to stand out with individual advice, service and service, we are preparing ourselves for the young buyer and are constantly expanding our internet presence. However, we cannot afford to get involved here on a large scale, as the margins are on the manufacturer's side and retailers hardly have any money left for professional advertising in the current mass media.

What benefits does Point-S bring to members?
Let's compare ourselves for a moment with Pep Guardiola, the coach of Bayern Munich. He is an excellent strategist and knows his job. But if he didn't have a lot of helpers who observe other players and teams, prepare their own team and learn from the strengths of others, then Pep would be pretty much alone in the field.
It is similar in the point-S. Democratically elected and hard-working shareholder councils bring in what is happening locally at the station and what the needs of the trade are. 6 employees at the headquarters then support the dealers with their needs and requirements. This ranges from simple IT master data collection and goes through special purchasing offers to the newly founded academy, which offers training courses from certified tire repair to business management training.

How can the tire retailer differentiate itself from the car dealership?
We are the experts when it comes to the right rubber. Drivers have to ask themselves how so many manufacturers manage to assert themselves on the market. This is possible because the tires have different strengths and weaknesses. As a specialist retailer, we know these distinctions and can give customers the right advice for their use. As point-S, we do not have to meet any manufacturer quotas. We can address the customer's needs. The car dealership is reduced to contractually bound manufacturers and only offers a small excerpt of the range. 

Tire manufacturers are increasingly focusing on car dealerships. Does the tire trade still have a future? Why not)?

The shoemaker sticks to his lasts and our core focus is on the tires. We are designed for this and have trained our staff for this. The fact that we provide services related to automobiles and that these are more extensive than “just” tires and wheels is not new. However, we will not open a completely new business area - this can only be about leveraging synergies and deepening customer loyalty.

How many members does point-S currently have?
We have 50 partners with 60 stations. This year we are affected by 2 company closures because the two dealers are retiring. At the same time, we are optimistic that we will be able to welcome 2 to 3 new dealers on board by the end of the year.
What's interesting for us is that in a personal conversation we get a membership rate of almost 100 percent. Getting people interested in the conversation is the hurdle we face. We only offer advantages and are self-organized, so the individual dealer doesn't take any risks and can leave us again without much effort. Which only happened once in 19 years.

What is your current market share, where do you want to go and how will that succeed?
Together we come to 17%. This also explains why we are stronger together than we are individually. I think that a 20% market share is the maximum for cooperation. The remaining 3% is a sporting goal.