French tyre maker Michelin has acquired 100% ownership of Allopneus SAS, the French firm involved in sales and tyre fitting online for private individuals. Since 2015, Michelin had held 40% of the capital of the company, founded in 2004 by the Blaise family.
With this acquisition, Michelin consolidates its e-commerce presence in France. The group intends to develop its knowledge of customer behaviour and the purchasing process and thus continue to offer the best possible experience, from online information seeking, right up to tyre fitting.
The development of e-commerce is one of the tyre market’s structural trends. Seeking information online has therefore become an essential step for 2 out of 3* motorists in the weeks preceding the purchase of new tyres. Today, 15% of these people complete their purchase online – a trend which is expected to strengthen in the years ahead.
Based in Aix-en-Provence, Allopneus has experienced strong growth since 2004. The company currently accounts for 40% of the French online tyre sales market to private individuals. Allopneus employs 292 people, works with 6,000 partner fitting centres and has a logistics centre in Valence. Each year, the company sells some 3.6 million touring tyres and receives approximately 27 million visits to its website.
The acquisition of 100% ownership of Allopneus SAS is subject to approval from the French Competition Authority.