Iconic Australian Tyre Retailer Beaurepaires to Close 100 Stores

A photo of a Beaurepaires store in Ringwood, Melbourne, Australia, taken on Feb. 9, 2024. Henry Jom/The Epoch Times

One of Australia’s oldest tyre retailers has collapsed, leaving the fate of hundreds of employees in the dark.

On Feb. 8, Beaurepaires, a 100-year-old Australian and New Zealand tyre retail and repair chain, revealed that the company would cease operation in the next 12 months.

The announcement followed the failed acquisition offer to rival Bob Jane Corporation.

Beaurepaires was in the middle of a transition to a new business model when the collapse occurred.

The company said the closure would cause 700 employees to lose jobs and 100 retail stores to be vacated or sold.

Founded in 1922 as a small tyre-repairing store by Frank Beaurepaire, a former Olympic swimmer, the company grew to become a major type company in Australia between the 1940s and 1960s.

The company merged with Nylex in 1973 and expanded its business rapidly before amalgamating with Dunlop Group.

The whole joint venture was later acquired by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in the United States in 2006.

In late 2023, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company announced its intention to sell the Dunlop brand and close down 100 Beaurepaires stores to turn around the company’s financial situation.

Prior to the collapse, Beaurepaires had a network of around 240 stores across Australia and New Zealand.

According to Sky News, the shutdown of Beaurepaires will cost Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company around $84 million (54.5 million) to $99 million but is expected to lift the company’s yearly revenue in Australia and New Zealand by $76 million to $84 million.

Beaurepaires’ collapse came just over a week after Godfreys, a well-known vacuum retailer, announced it had entered into voluntary administration.

Challenging economic conditions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the 93-year-old business to its knees.

Administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said Godfreys would not totally shut down but undergo an “immediate” restructuring that could lead to 54 stores being closed and 193 staff losing their jobs in the coming weeks.

PwC aimed to preserve as much of the business and as many jobs as possible while looking for a buyer for the retailer.