Groupe Touchette to Acquire National Tire Distributors Business from American Tire Distributors

Groupe Touchette Inc. (« Groupe Touchette ») and American Tire Distributors (« ATD ») today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Groupe Touchette will acquire ATD’s Canadian subsidiary, National Tire Distributors (« NTD »).

The acquisition of NTD will significantly contribute to Groupe Touchette’s ability to serve its customers and business partners, bringing enhanced service, increased offering capacity and more choice to Canadian consumers. With NTD, Groupe Touchette’s growth will also create new job opportunities across Canada. Groupe Touchette looks forward to bolstering its service offering through the integration of NTD’s best-in- class workforce and rich industry knowledge. Following the close of the transaction, Groupe Touchette will serve all major manufacturers and supply customers across Canada.

« On behalf of the entire Groupe Touchette team, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome NTD into our growing family, » said Nicolas Touchette and Frédéric Bouthillier, Co-owners at Groupe Touchette. « In these challenging times, and in this ever-evolving industry, the environmental and technological realities bring a high complexity on a 360-degree perspective. Groupe Touchette’s plan is to offer powerful solutions that drive efficiencies and streamline the supply chain for the benefit of customers, consumers and manufacturers. NTD’s addition will help us reach our goal to best serve Canadians! »

« Today’s announcement is another important step forward for NTD, ATD and our industry as a whole, » said Stuart Schuette, President and Chief Executive Officer of ATD. « We are very proud of the Canadian business we have built in NTD and are pleased to have reached an agreement with Groupe Touchette that secures a tremendous future for it and the incredible associates, customers and partners who support it. Thanks to our agreement with Groupe Touchette, we are helping pave the way in developing a cleaner tire industry of the future, with technology-enabled connectivity and efficiency through our diverse line of products. We look forward to working with Groupe Touchette, as we push best practices and continue leading the pace of change in our industry. »

« This is an exciting development for the NTD team, our associates, business partners, customers and, ultimately, Canadian drivers, » said George McClean, President of NTD. « We are grateful to have been a part of ATD and for their vision, innovation and operational support that have positioned us for continued growth and success. Looking ahead, we are excited to become a part of Groupe Touchette, and we will work together to surpass the growing needs of our customers and consumers in Canada while increasing supply chain efficiency and reducing emissions. »

As part of the agreement, the companies will enter 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.

This transaction builds on Groupe Touchette’s legacy as an employer-of-choice in Canada and is expected to create exciting career opportunities for Groupe Touchette employees, NTD associates and potential additional hires.

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

Timing and Approvals

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including Canadian regulatory clearance.

Advisors

Jefferies Group is serving as financial advisor to Groupe Touchette and Dentons and Prévost Fortin D’Aoust are serving as its legal counsel. Moelis & Company LLC is serving as financial advisor to ATD and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP are serving as its legal counsel.

Source: Groupe Touchette