Top Tassie Tyre Dealer Sets Sights On Staying Number One
Leading Tasmanian tyre dealer, Speedy Tyres in Devonport has again been named the Kumho Tyre National Platinum Dealer of the Year.
The significant National award comes on the back of Speedy winning the Kumho Platinum Dealer of the year for Victoria and Tasmania in 2023 and follows the purchase of the business by new owners 14 months ago.
At the time of purchasing the highly successful operation last year the new management team vowed to defend the operation’s title, and since then they have taken it to even higher levels.
Sam and El Chettle bought Speedy Tyres from Brendan and Julie Healey after the dealership clinched the Kumho Tyres Platinum Dealer Victoria/Tasmania of the Year in 2023, and have worked extremely hard to ensure they would go back to back for the prestigious award.
According to Kumho Tyre Australia National Retail Operations Manager, Paul Deer, despite the Chettles being fresh into the Kumho Platinum dealer program, they have taken what was already a proud Platinum Dealer store to the next level.
“Sam and El along with their team at Speedy in Devonport continue to hit targets and are incredibly loyal to the Kumho brand and sell it as their champion brand,” Deer said.
“Brendan and Julie Healey were multiple National Platinum Dealer of the Year winners and Sam and El have made the transition into the Platinum store appear seamless,” he added.
Deer emphasised the involvement of the Chettles and Speedy in the local community, where they continue to support various community organisations and programs via sponsorships and event support were also part of the criteria when naming a winner.
“Their store presentation provides a clean, safe, welcoming environment for customers and they are well known within the local community, as well as the local motorsport fraternity as proud born and bred Tasmanians,” Deer added.
“They are part of the community in Tasmania and local business and motorists support them just as Speedy tyres supports the local community,” he said.
Previous owner Brendan Healey had worked at Speedy Tyres since its inception in 1984 and had owned it for seven years up until the sale to the Chettles.
“Brendan and Julie did a fantastic job in building the business and its clientele here in Northern Tasmania and it is just a damn good business,” said Sam Chettle.
Sam is a qualified auto electrician who had worked in a business that handled a lot of tyres and enjoyed the industry, so when the opportunity came up to buy Speedy, he and his wife El jumped at the chance.
Sam heads up the operation as a hands-on boss, while his wife and fellow director El runs the administration and looks after the numbers as a qualified bookkeeper.
“It's a really good business and the clientele have stayed around and supported us since we took over,” said El.
“We haven’t changed a lot, the Healey’s set the pattern and we have just fine tuned a couple of things and worked on some efficiencies, but apart from that we have carried on as they left off,” she said.
“In addition to the people that we've known in the community, we certainly haven't noticed any downturn, we've been trading at the same levels, if not more since we took over. I know the numbers and I am learning about tyres, but it is a great business with a great reputation here in Devonport,” she added.
“They say the first 12 months is the toughest time in a new business and we have worked hard to get through that period and we will continue to work hard to see if we can take another Platinum Dealer of the Year next year,” she said.
The Chettles face plenty of opposition from the big national tyre retailers in Devonport but they have held their own and grown the business despite this.
“We don’t try gimmicks, there is no buy one get one free mentality here, we tell our customers the best price and play our role in the community and the community supports us,” she said.
Sam says that being a Kumho Platinum Dealer is also a key to the success of the business, and the quality and price equation for Kumho makes it a brand that is easy to sell and well respected in the market.
“Once people try Kumho they keep coming back, because of the positive experience they have with them,” said Sam. “One of the big advantages Kumho has is the wide range it offers and the fact that we can sell them into every sector of the automotive market.”
“Being a Kumho Platinum Dealer is a huge advantage because of the prestige it brings and the assistance that Kumho delivers as a result,” Sam added.
The Chettles love Tasmania but concede the biggest challenge for a tyre business in the Apple Isle is the water that separates them from the mainland.
“It isn’t as easy to maintain the same levels of stock as our friends on the other side of Bass Strait and the supply chain is a bit longer and more challenging, but Kumho makes it a lot easier and is great to deal with when it comes to supply,” said Sam.
Sam grew up in Devonport and has spent his entire career in the Northern Tasmanian city, while El is from nearby Ulverstone, and both are proud members of the local community.
“At Speedy Tyres we are tyre professionals who can offer the best tyre deals to suit any particular vehicle and people know our family run business is Devonport owned and managed,” El added.
“As the only Kumho Tyre Platinum Dealer in the area, we purchase tyres at better prices and then pass these savings onto our customers.”
The Chettles say that Speedy Tyres is equipped with the latest wheel alignment technology required by its customers, and that these are performed by its team of skilled technicians.
The Speedy Tyres team trades six days per week and is within walking distance of the local shops while offering plenty of onsite parking.
With the team celebrating Speedy’s 40th anniversary last year they believe they can steer it toward its 50th anniversary in nine years time and well beyond for decades to come.
