Tyre Asia April/May 2018 75
Its goal is to have 800 programme partners by
2020, throughout Europe. “At the heart of our
approach is a desire to move away from the usual
franchise model to become genuine business
partners with dealers who join the programme,”
explains Heimann.
The strategy is to create a ‘dynamic collaboration’
between the tyre manufacturer and the dealer, and
dealer and customer based on three principles:
business consultancy, growth and a unique design.
The consultancy aspect will target fulfilling
the potential of a business area, and the sales
organisation of the retailer. Growth is geared
towards new tools to increase the sales volume like
offering products from Apollo Vredestein Premium
Styling Partners. And lastly, Apollo offers unique
designs offering a high-quality shopping experience
for end-consumers.
Its styling partnership with car manufacturer Arden
involved Apollo Vredestein partnering with the
associate for modified vehicles from the premium
Jaguar, Bentley and Range Rover and Mini brands.
The idea is to provide ultra-high performance tyres
aimed at the high-end of the exclusive car market.
Apollo has also collaborated with German luxury
car ‘tuner’ Mansory to equip refined luxury cars like
Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin. With hand-
crafting and sophisticated technology as core values,
the association of Apollo has heightened its presence
in the luxury segment.In the Middle Eastern markets, Apollo has invested
in developing its retail and distribution presence. In
the Far East Thailand is also included in the brand
strategy. But the major branding success came with
Apollo Tyres’ takeover of reifencom GmbH, operator
of e-commerce sites in six European countries.This is aimed at furthering Apollo’s retail strategy
by developing network in the European market.
Heimann said this acquisition – which has
operational facilities in Bielefeld and Hanover – was
a “sound strategic extension of the value chain.”
This will help Apollo Vredestein to increase sales
activities, intensify customer support and make
customer orientation more consistent, he said.Heimann hopes to address many complexities of the
market in order to develop a significant competitive
advantage. Besides increased brand awareness
for Vredestein, the acquisition will encourage
consultation with end consumers especially in the
light of new tyre pressure monitoring systems and
selection of products.
He also says that the company can now optimise its
logistics through measures such as the optimisation
of delivery times, allowing storage capacity to be
decreased and higher margins to be realised at all
stages.The mantra of Apollo is continuous upgradation
of product and manufacturing technologies, along
with tracking of consumer expectation and fulfilling
it. Building strong brands is based on giving the
consumer the highest product quality, a corporate
commitment on which Apollo will never compromise.
Whether it is tyres for buses and high-end cars
launch of cycle and bike tyres for two-wheeler
enthusiasts, the same concern for quality and safety
drive Apollo’s R&D and marketing efforts.
In the highly competitive European and Asian
market, one has to remain price competitive but
without compromising on customer expectation of
quality and reliability. It is this motto that is in the
DNA of Apollo that the Kanwars have been following
since the company’s founding.T
he branding exercise with
Manchester United has enlarged
Apollo’s brand recognition across
Europe. Its advertising and marketing
cooperation has grown to 69
countries. An additional 67 countries
will cover virtually all of Europe –
and even as far as TurkeyMathias Heimann