For most households in the UK owning a car is an essential part of daily life, however with the rising costs in running and maintaining vehicles it is becoming an increasingly expensive necessity. Being able to save money on something as vital as tyres would seem too good to be true, however etyres' customers are doing just that.

With its customers being able to make savings of up to 40 per cent, etyres can barely keep up with the orders it has pouring in, and with areas of the country not covered it is looking to expand its franchise. "Our telephones are constantly ringing with new orders coming in - online tyre sales are booming," reveals Tony Bowman, Managing Director of etyres. "Even though we have over 70 franchisees across the country we still have some key areas available and are looking to fill these."

Founded in 1992 and franchising since 1996 etyres initially started out selling tyres and batteries to companies in the contract hire, leasing and fleet management industries, however in 1997 etyres was able to extend its service to the general public via the internet. Tony explains: "We keep our costs down as we don't have any of the overheads that traditional depots have, such as rent and rates. Instead franchisees work from vans and provide a mobile service - fitting tyres wherever it is convenient for the customer."

Although its low prices are a key attraction for customers, the fact that etyres provides a mobile fitting service is an added bonus as it means that customers no longer have to waste time and effort going to their nearest depot and sitting around waiting for the work to be done. Instead etyres fitters will go to the customer. "Most of our franchisees start by fitting tyres themselves," says Tony. "Then once they've built up their business they usually employ someone else to go out to the customer to do the fittings."

Providing customers with both a cheaper and more convenient tyre service has meant that etyres has not only established a lot of repeat business but has also gained new customers through word of mouth. "Customers are at the forefront of the business as I believe if the customer is not getting a good deal then the business is not going to succeed," explains Tony. In fact one customer, TV presenter Eamon Holmes, was so impressed with the savings he made by using etyres that he agreed to appear in a step-by-step guide to buying tyres that can be seen on the company's website.

With customer satisfaction at the forefront of the busines, etyres is looking for franchisees with the strong ability to meet and communicate with customers as well as being practical and hard working.

Like all businesses to make a success of an etyres franchise will take time and effort, however by enabling car-owners to save money on maintaining their vehicles as well as providing a convenient fitting service, etyres has ensured its franchisees have great foundations to build on.

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS:
etyres fitters carry out the tyre replacement when and where it suits the customer, at lunchtime or dinner time, at home or at work. Because etyres does not have to fork out large overheads for expensive tyre depots, its lower operating costs mean the huge savings are passed on to customers. All the customer needs to do is log on to etyres.co.uk and follow the simple instructions to place an order (they just need to know the size of tyre they require or the make and model of the car) or call the etyres head office call centre.

The etyres website carries a vast selection of tyres, from top of the range brand names - including Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli, Continental and Michelin - to good quality mid-range and economy alternatives. The internet business is building on the back of etyres' reputation as a market leader in the mobile tyre fitting industry. Over the last 15 years the company has built up an impressive client base and established accounts with the majority of the largest contract hire and leasing companies as well as dozens of smaller organisations in that field. They appreciate the company's ability to deliver a top quality service at acceptable prices.

Reported by Derin Ibrahim