Goodyear Dunlop launches its retail partnership programme
Goodyear Dunlop has today launched its flagship retail partnership programme in Ireland, with the long-term aim of building a network of Goodyear Dunlop accredited retailers across the country.
Goodyear Dunlop has run a retail partnership programme in the UK since 1998 and has in excess of 240 tyre retail partner outlets, alongside its HiQ franchise operation. The company hopes to bring a number of retail partners on-board in Ireland by the end of this year.
Commenting to TyreTrade.ie on the launch of the programme, Stephen Lynch, Goodyear Dunlop Ireland’s Marketing and PR manager said: “This is a great programme and represents a real opportunity for the Irish tyre retailers to grow their business in conjunction with one of the world’s leading tyre manufactures. We’re committed to its success and have invested heavily to tailor the programme to the unique needs of the Irish market.”
The Goodyear Dunlop retail partnership programme combines marketing, PR, training and IT support, on the understanding that the partner outlet commits to upholding the Goodyear Dunlop customer promise. The partner centres must demonstrate expert customer care provided by technicians trained to an industry standard. A regular and independent customer survey will be conducted to ensure a relentless focus on quality, and a proactive approach to solving customer problems should they arise.
Lynch adds: “Most tyre retail operators are providing expert customer service and our programme is a formal acknowledgement of their standards of service. We will provide tools to enable dealers to communicate this to a bigger audience. We also make sure our partners stay ahead of the competition with IT programmes to improve processes and regular training on products and industry changes.
“For this year we already have an innovative campaign ready to launch around combating the dangers and false economies of using part-worn tyres. The marketing and PR support we can provide our partners with essentially gives them a much bigger stage to really get their message across and help drive demand.”
Commenting on the launch of the programme, Farrell Dolan, Goodyear Dunlop retail director for the UK and Ireland, said: “Our retail partner programme is built on two simple principles – customers want honest and reliable advice, and tyre retailer providers want to better and grow their business. The whole programme is geared around ensuring both partner and customer get what they need – which is why we have developed tools and packages to help the retailer deliver on our customer promise and make a positive difference to his bottom-line.”