Groupe Touchette Completes Acquisition of National Tire Distributors (NTD)

Groupe Touchette Inc. (“Groupe Touchette”) today  announced that, after meeting the requirements of customary closing conditions including Canadian  regulatory clearance, it has completed its acquisition of National Tire Distributors (“NTD”), the Canadian  subsidiary of American Tire Distributors (“ATD”). With the addition of NTD, Groupe Touchette is moving  forward as a stronger company that offers more choice and best-in-class service to meet the needs of  customers and consumers across Canada.

“This is a historic day for Groupe Touchette as we officially welcome NTD into our growing company. Together, we will provide customers from coast to coast with top-of-the-line products and services, as well  as develop new innovations that will drive the Canadian tire industry forward,” said Nicolas Touchette,  Co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Touchette. “At Groupe Touchette, we are developing  today’s solutions to meet tomorrow’s challenges, with a focus on creating greener and more innovative  practices that will benefit our employees, customers and partners.”

Together with the integrated NTD assets and network, Groupe Touchette plans on enhancing its current  service offering and will:

• Have close to 1,600 employees across Canada;
• Operate a coast-to-coast distribution network of tire-centric one-stop shops;
• Provide a unique platform offering customers the right products at the right place, time and price;
• Develop technological integration to increase efficiency and sustainability
• Diversify the breadth of available product categories.

Following the transaction, Groupe Touchette will also grow its Canadian retail banner options to offer a  complete platform that can support a strong network of owner-operators. The addition of NTD’s retail  network will fuel Groupe Touchette’s ability to meet and surpass end-consumers expectations, through its  900+ Canadian retail locations operating under provincial and national brands namely Tirecraft, Tireland/Ici Pneu, Integra Tire and Pneu Select.

“We are grateful for the hard work and commitment our amazing Groupe Touchette team displays  every day and know that our new colleagues from NTD will only make us even stronger,” said Frédéric  Bouthillier, Co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Groupe Touchette. “We are confident that, together, our team’s outstanding dedication to serving customers and the broader Canadian industry will continue to drive success for all of our stakeholders and Groupe Touchette.”

As part of the agreement, the companies have entered into a commercial relationship under which ATD  will supply the combined Canadian company with its proprietary Hercules and Ironman brand tires and  make its advanced analytics software and productivity-enabling tools available to Groupe Touchette’s network. The combined expertise of Groupe Touchette and NTD, along with this commercial relationship with ATD, will create benefits for employees, manufacturers and customers, including retailers and  consumers of replacement tires across Canada.

The combined business will continue to be headquartered in Montreal and will maintain a national support centre in Burlington, Ontario, as well as regional offices across Canada.

Source: Groupe Touchette