The History of Merchant’s Tire
Merchant’s Tire and Automotive Centers was founded in 1943. With only three associates, the first retail store was opened in downtown Manassas, Virginia. In January of 1944, a one-bay Esso gas station opened with 12 retreads and six new tires.
A second retail location was opened in Centreville, Virginia, and by 1972, the company had grown to 12 outlets. Since then, Merchant’s Tire has become part of the largest independent tire and automotive dealer in the nation, Tire Kingdom, and we are still growing. New locations are being added each year.
Our growing diverse base of retail and commercial locations run from York, Pennsylvania, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, encompassing Baltimore and the Northern Virginia/Metro D.C. area, Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Tidewater/Virginia Beach, and Raleigh/Durham area along the way.
We are distributors of a host of product lines including Michelin, Uniroyal, BFGoodrich, Kumho, Pirelli, Goodyear, Dunlop, Yokohama, Continental, General, Sigma, Spicer, Monroe, Raybestos, Borg-Warner and many other makers of quality tires and automotive parts.
In June, 2000, Memphis-based TBC Corporation purchased Tire Kingdom, which includes Merchant’s Tire, Tire Kingdom, and National Tire and Battery. TBC Corporation is one of the nation's largest marketers and distributors of tires for the automotive replacement market. TBC has continued to expand Tire Kingdom with additional locations in markets it currently serves as well as to extend its geographic coverage.
In November 2005, Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) acquired TBC Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary. SCOA is an investor and business partner in more than 40 subsidiary and affiliate companies.
Merchant’s Tire is committed to continued growth and expansion and is dedicated to becoming the leading tire and automotive services retailer in the nation.