NEWS HAS ARRIVED that India’s Apollo Tyres Ltd has bought American Cooper Tires. It seems the Indian company has purchased the US manufacturer for a staggering (to us!) $2.5million. The deal to purchase the second biggest tyre manufacturer in the US should make Apollo the world’s seventh-largest tyre maker. And no, we hadn’t heard of them before either. This will give Apollo direct access to the enormous US market. It also confirms that the replacement tyre market is a very big, international, business! The company already had a strong involvement in Europe with its Vredestein and Cooper brands, with Apollo owning the manufacturing plant at Melksham in the UK (primarily a motorsport tyre producer). Interestingly, it seems Apollo is likely to become a big sport sponsor, thereby broadening the brand. However, that this is not going to be in the motorsport arena, but more likely football and golf. Coming to a Premier League team near you, perhaps?
