- Independent tyre dealership in Falkirk – founded with backing from The Princes Trust – wins prestigious industry award
- Business owner: “It demonstrates just what can be achieved when someone gives you a little bit of support”
Falkirk-based Skidz has been named the best tyre dealership in the UK, after winning the fiercely contested Tyre Retailer of the Year Award 2022 at the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Awards.
The family-owned business, which is a member of the Michelin Quality Centre network, initially won the Small Tyre Retailer category for the best single location site, before going on to be crowned the NTDA’s overall Tyre Retailer of the Year. This saw it beat the winners of the Medium Retailer (up to 25 centres) and Large Retailer (national chain) categories.
It was an emotional moment for Craig Crosbie, Managing Director, who 27 years ago took the bold decision, aged 21, to set up his own business selling alloy wheels – with the backing of a £5,000 interest-free loan from The Princes Trust.
Speaking after the awards, Craig says: “I honestly never dared to dream of how successful the business would become. It demonstrates just what can be achieved when someone gives you a little bit of support to pursue your business dreams.”
Today the company turns over more than £3m a year and counts Michelin amongst its largest suppliers. It employs a skilled 16-strong team and has a huge customer base – even carrying out regular work for flagship business accounts including Lamborghini Edinburgh.
At the heart of every business decision Craig puts his team first, which was one of the reasons he recently decided to close on Saturdays despite years of weekend opening. He explains: “Instead we open for longer hours in the week so customers can call in on their way to or from work. It’s enabled me to give everyone their Saturdays back, which has proven incredibly popular. And we know it’s working well for the business as our turnover has gone up!”
Commenting on what it means to be named the best tyre dealership in the country, Craig adds: “It’s still sinking in to be honest, but I know my team thoroughly deserve it. Most tyre dealerships our size serve motorists in their local area, but we literally have drivers visiting us from across Scotland, because they know we’ll look after their vehicles as if they were our own.
“We have no aspirations to be the biggest; we just want to be the best. We treat every customer who walks in as if they were a good friend – everything’s geared around giving honest, expert advice, backed up by great service.”
In addition to supplying tyres and alloy wheels, the company can supply in-car entertainment systems, vehicle alarms, immobilisers, trackers and even telematics systems to help fleets manage their assets more efficiently.
The NTDA Awards were presented by former BBC news presenter and Tri-athlete Louise Minchin and took place at the VOX Conference Centre, Resorts World, Birmingham, on 6 October 2022, in front of approximately 600 senior tyre industry representatives.
About Michelin
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tyres, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 177 countries, has 124,760 employees and operates 68 tyre production facilities which together produced around 173 million tyres in 2021. (www.michelin.com)
More information on how Michelin assists transport businesses achieve its sustainability goals and run more efficiently can be found at business.michelin.co.uk.
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