Cooper Tire working to boost sales in China

With China poised to become the world’s largest tire market by 2017, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. said it is teaming up with tire dealers to increase sales there.

Cooper and tire dealers over the past eight months have opened four Cooper Superfeel Centers in Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong and Chengdu. Cooper Tire plans to team with additional dealers to open two more Superfeel Centers in China before year-end.

Cooper Superfeel Centers range from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet and sell tires for passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and other vehicle types. The centers have interactive displays and large-format video screens.

They also offer a variety of tire-related services including alignment, balancing, and tire repair, as well as other auto services.

“The Cooper brand has been in China for more than nine years and the tire business there is quite unlike the United States. It’s a highly fragmented business with no major distribution channels or household retail names,” said Cooper Chief Operating Officer Brad Hughes.

“The nature of the market and the explosive growth in vehicle ownership in China provide an opportunity for Cooper to team with dealers to build upon our already-respected brand in the region with a new retail tire sales and service experience,” Hughes said.

The Cooper Superfeel Centers are meant to help Cooper gain greater acceptance among consumers, many of whom are buying their first cars, Hughes said. Cooper’s Asia growth strategy includes drawing business from the original equipment automotive market.

“The quality of our products, many developed at Cooper’s Asia Technical Center in Kunshan and produced in China, have earned Cooper entry into several (original equipment) accounts in Asia,” Hughes said. “Now, with the Cooper Superfeel Centers, we are also earning our way into the consumer market by partnering with dealers to present a distinctive shopping experience coupled with outstanding service.”