UK garages in pilot for Bridgestone ‘e-Centre’ plans

Four UK garages are to pilot new Bridgestone plans for a future network of ‘e-Centres’ to boost the brand’s environmental, social and governance requirements for tyre retailers.

Bridgestone unveiled the e-Centres blueprint on October 8 after working on the concept with professional services firm EY. The brand also conducted research in the UK that indicated more than a third of motorists value garages with “responsible recycling practices”.

Under the concept, retailers will be assessed against 85 standards before they attain e-Centre or ‘e-Centre Pioneer’ status.

Bridgestone said it plans to invest £1 million in assessing hundreds of tyre retailers across Europe over the next couple of years, with the intention of accrediting 150 sites as e-Centres.

E-Centre Pioneer depots will represent a massive departure from a conventional garage aesthetically, Bridgestone said. Importantly, they will also adhere to a number of best practices including solar panel installations, staff training on premium product performance and road safety initiatives and “hyper-local donation campaigns” to support their local communities, Bridgestone said.

Renewable energy

Bridgestone’s head of marketing for the UK and Ireland Andy Mathias, who is also the e-Centres project lead, said the brand’s own research sought to gain a better understanding of motorists’ mindsets concerning automotive retail and future mobility.

According to the research*, 23% of respondents would be more likely to visit a garage if it had proven sustainability credentials, whether it be renewable energy sources or effective adoption of EV practices.

In addition, 36% of motorists would pay more to a garage that responsibly recycles its tyres, the research indicated.

Mathias said: “We want to ultimately improve the buying experience as motorists enter each Bridgestone e-Centre accredited store, with conventional desk and waiting area designs potentially replaced by a more contemporary customer space in line with a more consultative and educational approach.”

Bridgestone said the drive for e-Centres is in line with its development of a premium tyre portfolio and work on sustainability as embodied in the brand’s ‘E8 commitment’ (covering energy, ecology, efficiency, extension, economy, emotion, ease, empowerment) that guides decision making across the business.

*The brand’s research was conducted online last January by Research Without Barriers among a representative sample of 2,000 UK car owners. 

Photo: AI-generated e-Centre image for illustrative purposes only