Protyre

{{Infobox company

| name = Micheldever Tyre & Auto Services Limited, trading as Protyre

| logo = Protyre logo.png

| type = Private

| foundation = 1972

| location = Micheldever, Winchester, Hampshire, England

| key_people = Graham Mitchell, CEO

| industry = Tyres and Servicing

| num_employees = 2400+

| parent = Sumitomo Rubber Industries

| homepage = {{url|protyre.co.uk}}

| footnotes =

}}

Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd, trading as Protyre, is primarily focused on the fast fitting of motor vehicles, specialising in tyres, brakes, exhausts and batteries. It also caters for MOT testing & servicing and air conditioning. The Protyre brand spawned from Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services Limited and in 2006 was acquired by venture capitalists, Graphite Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland. It was sold to Sumitomo Rubber Industries in January 2017.

History

Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd was founded in 1972 by Tony Todd{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5642125.tyre-tycoon-sells-up-after-34-years/|title=Tyre tycoon sells up after 34 years|date=9 February 2006|newspaper=Daily Echo|access-date=28 November 2023}} starting in a farm building off the A303 before moving a mile or so to the site at Micheldever Station (two miles to the north of Micheldever, Hampshire) which is now the headquarters for the company. It expanded to employ a work force of approximately 1,000. Following a buy out from Graphite Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland, it remained profitable and continued to expand. As well as retail, it operates a wholesale division, which supplies in excess of 6 million tyres a year{{cite web|url=http://www.micheldevergroup.com/about-us.aspx |title=About Us |publisher=Micheldever Group |date=2015-03-31 |access-date=2017-01-05}} to its 2,500 plus wholesale customers. Previous owner Tony Todd, since selling the company in 2006, was ranked 782nd in the Times Rich List, 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.bodyshopmag.com/news-sunday-times-rich-list-bodyshop-automotive-insurer.aspx |title=Sunday times rich list, bodyshop, automotive, insurer |access-date=2011-09-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402113512/http://www.bodyshopmag.com/news-sunday-times-rich-list-bodyshop-automotive-insurer.aspx |archive-date=2012-04-02 }}

As at November 2023 Protyre operates more than 180 branches across the UK.{{Cite web |title=Find Your Local Car Garage {{!}} Protyre |url=https://www.protyre.co.uk/garages |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=www.protyre.co.uk}}

Ownership

Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd, trading as Protyre was founded by Tony Todd and run by him until 2006, when it was acquired by Graphite Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland.{{cite web |url=http://www.graphitecapital.com/news-feb-06-Micheldever.html |title=Graphite Capital Management LLP - A leading independent private equity group investing in mid-market UK companies - Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority |access-date=2009-09-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130054732/http://www.graphitecapital.com/news-feb-06-Micheldever.html |archive-date=2010-01-30 }}

In January 2017, Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) was sold to Sumitomo Rubber Industries for £215 million.{{cite news|author=Rob Davies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/05/japanese-company-to-buy-uks-second-biggest-tyremaker-micheldever-tyre-services |title=Japanese company to buy UK's second biggest tyre supplier for £215m | Business |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2017-01-05}}

References

External links

[http://www.micheldever.co.uk Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services Limited]
[https://www.protyre.co.uk Protyre, online tyre retailer]

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Category:British companies established in 1972

Category:Retail companies established in 1972

Category:Companies based in Hampshire

Category:Automotive repair shops