The BPH Tyre Alliance Conference & Seminar, organised by Buckingham Powerhouse Sdn Bhd, was successfully held from 14th to 19th June in China.
Twenty-one BPH tyre alliance outlet owners participated in the event. The main highlight was the product training conducted by Lee Chin Loong, Business Director of Buckingham Powerhouse, along with technical representatives from BPH Conmax Vietnam R&D centre. Focused primarily on run-flat tyres (RFT), the training aimed to increase knowledge on RFT as it was quite low in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, and the new technology on automotive absorbers.
According to Lee, the RFT market is growing in Malaysia. The company is currently selling Delinte RFT and would launch Commax RFT soon.
The product training also covered brake pads and shock absorbers, keeping participants updated on the new compound and technology. Besides that, the company took the opportunity to present the Certificate of Achievement to the participants.
The participants also did some sightseeing in Changsa and Zhangjiajie. Among the popular places visited was the Zhangjiajie National Park, the most famous among China’s best national parks – Wulingyuan.
Lee said the BPH tyre alliance franchise module was ideal for newcomers without any tyre experience who wished to join the tyre retail industry.
“We have tailored 2 packages for our BPHtyre Alliance franchisee programme. The first one is ‘Package A: BPHtyre Franchisee’ with which we will provide proper product training, a fully modern renovated workshop with complete equipment (except compressor) as well as management and 2 technical staff to run day-to-day operations. Depending on the shop size, the average investment required is RM150,000, plus another RM50,000 as working capital. In addition to the ongoing training, we will provide monitoring, retail expertise and full POS (point of sale) system and mobile app support for our retail chain. We will also provide the cheapest alternative for the premium tyre brands for our BPHtyre alliance partners. Similarly, we will provide promotional marketing plans that would keep the franchisee accounts profitable within 3 months of operations. Apart from the in-house full POS system, the App would accept payments through Alipay, Union Pay, WEchat pay, major credit cards and Paypal. The App scheduled for launch in September 2017 consists of 3 modules: The retailer module (BPHtyre shop or participant), enduser module (buyer) and service provider Module (BPH Hq). All 3 modules work exactly like the Uber or Grab app. The expected return on investment (ROI) is 12-16 months,” he said.
“The Package B: BPHtyre Franchisee is tailored for existing tyre shops, which have all the benefits mentioned above except that in providing the BPHtyre with management and 2 technical staff to run day-to-day operations.”
There are currently 28 BPH tyre alliance outlets in Malaysia; 6 on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, 14 in Sabah, 1 in Kuching, 1 in Ipoh and 6 in the Klang Valley.
“Of these 28 outlets, 15 are existing tyre shops while 13 are totally newcomers. We plan to open 61 BPH tyre alliance outlets by the end of 2017,” said Lee.
BPH tyre alliance is a multi-brand concept tyre shop and being a multi-brand tyre supplier, Buckingham Powerhouse could provide support with various brands of tyres, absorbers and brake pads. The company also support the BPH tyre alliance outlets with continuous monthly promotional campaigns to help draw more customers. These promotional campaigns are subsidised by Buckingham Powerhouse.
