Continental has been at the core of Fuller Tyres’ provision ever since it won its first contract 14 years ago. Initially supplying Continental car tyres into rental fleets at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, Fuller Tyres rapidly grew its operations. Today, the tyre supply and fitment business is arguably one of the South East’s largest. Operating from sites in Guildford and Southampton, the company boasts thousands of satisfied customers from a wide array of automotive sectors.
Its growth has been helped in part by Continental’s diverse range of tyre solutions. Now well established as a supplier of consumer and commercial vehicle (CV) tyres, Fuller Tyres has seen demand for its off-the-road (OTR) tyre business rise significantly over the last decade.
“We saw it as a natural progression from our truck tyre service,” said Craig Fuller, Managing Director at Fuller Tyres. “We have two vehicles dedicated to supplying and fitting OTR tyres, with more coming soon. Given our proximity to the coast, it’s great that we’re able to provide services to port and freight terminals, but we’re also working with businesses in sectors such as earthmoving, quarrying, waste and plant hire, too.”
Continental’s multidisciplinary approach to tyres is a significant benefit for Fuller Tyres. Customers are delighted that they can fit a single brand across a diverse fleet and enjoy the same high standards of quality and tyre performance on every vehicle.
“We really value that Continental can cover everything under one umbrella,” Craig adds. “If we have a customer with forklifts, tugs, vans, trucks and trailers – Continental can do it all. That doesn’t necessarily have to be with the parent brand either. We stock Uniroyal and Semperit, for example, as well as Bandvulc retread tyres which are great, sustainable option for customers.
“As a tyre supplier and fitter, the fact that Continental allows us to be a holistic one-stop-shop for clients is a big selling point. The brand offers a product that is suitable for around 95% of our needs. It often makes the customer’s procurement process simpler and allows us to maximise efficiencies on their behalf.”
Fuller Tyres’ commitment to the Continental brand extends beyond rubber to the innovative digital solutions available for CV operators. The company was one of the first in the UK to offer retrofitted ContiPressureCheck tyre pressure monitoring systems to customers in 2018.
“We have an exceptional relationship with Continental,” says Craig. “They’re one of the easiest suppliers to work with and they go above and beyond to help us. The strong technical knowledge they offer is critical to us delivering great service for our customers and has undoubtedly helped to give us the confidence we needed to grow into different areas. It’s easy as an independent tyre retailer to be pulled from pillar to post, but having someone we can trust to offer advice has been invaluable.
“Our team has also made good use of the ContiAcademy, which has been especially useful as we’ve grown our industrial and OTR services. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Continental. Their products offer exceptional value for money and it’s a pleasure working with their team.”
Speaking of Continental’s partnership with Fuller Tyres, Mike Leedham, OTR Sales Manager at Continental Tyres, said: “It’s a pleasure to work closely with the team at Fuller Tyres. The retailer is a great ambassador for the Continental family of products, and we’re especially delighted to see they’re continuing to grow their OTR services using our diverse tyre range. Being able to serve a wide range of client needs is a major benefit for fleet operators and is a relatively simple way for retailers and fitters to help maximise service and customer loyalty.”
