Gamauf to Consult with GfK in Launch of US Point-of-Sale Tire Panel

At a time of fierce competition for retail tire sales in the US, a new GfK initiative promises to give tire sellers long-needed marketplace intelligence to help them grow profits. Tire industry legend John Gamauf, former President of Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT), has come out of retirement to help promote GfK’s new point-of-sale retail panel, which will empower tire sellers with a more comprehensive understanding of sales, pricing, and features nationwide.

Click here to learn more about GfK’s US tire panel and become a participating retailer.

Under Gamauf’s leadership, Bridgestone/Firestone developed an unrivaled network of consumer tire dealers and set sales records for replacement tires. Gamauf created BFNAT’s Affiliated Dealer Program, one of the most successful dealer incentive initiatives in the industry; and he traveled tirelessly to reassure retailers after the 2000 Firestone recall, allowing the brand to retain all of its dealers.

In 2008, after nearly 40 years with Bridgestone/Firestone – he joined at age 17 as a tire buster – Gamauf retired. He was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame three years later.

“Only an initiative with the extraordinary benefits of GfK’s new panel could convince me to get off my bike, leave the golf course behind, and hit the road once more,” Gamauf said. “With GfK’s aggregated national data, tire retailers in the US will have access to the broad market knowledge they need to make smarter decisions about pricing, stocking, and loyalty programs. GfK’s experience tracking tire sales in almost 30 countries globally makes it the ideal company to take on this essential service to the industry.”

“We are thrilled to have Johnny G.’s support and guidance as we bring news about our POS panel to tire dealers nationwide,” said Neil Portnoy, Managing Director of GfK’s Retail Sales Tracking team in North America. “No one has more credibility with tire retailers than Johnny, and his marketplace knowledge will help us optimize the benefits we deliver to retailers.”

Like its established tire retail panels in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, the new US panel will collect point of sale data from tire sellers and deliver back aggregated reports that give participating dealers an edge in understanding brand and features success, pricing by region, discounts offered, and key marketplace trends. Custom reports from the data will also be available to manufacturers and retailers.

About GfK

GfK is one of the world’s leading research companies, with around 13,000 experts working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop, in over 100 markets, every day. GfK is constantly innovating and using the latest technologies and the smartest methodologies to give its clients the clearest understanding of the most important people in the world: their customers. In 2012, GfK’s sales amounted to €1.51 billion.

To find out more, visit www.gfk.com/us or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK_en