Southfield-based Belle Tire is being acquired by the private equity-backed chain Big Brand Tire & Service.
The deal was announced July 16 and is expected to close sometime later in the quarter. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Belle Tire is one of the larger tire and auto servicing chains in the Midwest and has 185 locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
Big Brand Tire & Service is a chain with a presence in mostly Western states. It was acquired in 2021 by San Francisco-based private equity firm Percheron Capital.
Belle Tire said in a statement late July 17 there were no plans to close any locations, and no layoffs are expected. The company also said it intends to keep the Belle Tire name and said it plans to continue the Belle Tire youth hockey club.
Don Barnes Jr. and Bob Barnes will maintain a minority ownership share, and Don Barnes III is to stay on as the company’s president, the statement said.
“Becoming part of the Big Brand company enables a higher velocity for store growth, provides access to best in class technologies and creates incredible career opportunities for our team members,” the statement said.
Belle Tire’s beginnings
Belle Tire was started in 1922 by Sam Waze with an initial location on Grand River Avenue in Detroit. Waze named the business after his wife, Belle.
The business continued to expand in the 1960s after the Waze family partnered with a Kelly Tire salesman, Don Barnes Sr.
In the 1980s the Barnes family bought out Waze’s son, Herbert Waze, and went on to acquire a string of other tire shops, including American Tire, Delta Tire, Great Lakes Tire, Elkin Tire, Tireman, Metro 25, former National Tire and Battery locations and Tireman Auto Service Centers, according to news reports and a company history on its website.
The company had its headquarters in Allen Park for many years before moving to Southfield in 2023, according to Crain’s Detroit at the time.
“This is an extraordinary moment for Belle Tire and for everyone who has helped build this company into what it is today,” Barnes III, said in an earlier news release.
“In Big Brand, we found a partner that shares our values and has built its success on a people-first mentality — an approach that will continue to empower our frontline team and further elevate the experience we deliver to our customers,” he continued. “Together, we will be even better positioned to grow, invest in our people, and continue serving our neighbors and communities with the same culture that has always set us apart.”
Joe Buscaglia, CEO of Big Brand, said in the release that he has tremendous respect for the business that Belle Tire built over a century.
“We are excited to welcome them to the Big Brand family and to build on their remarkable legacy as we continue creating the nation’s leading independent tire and automotive service platform,” he said.
(This story has been updated to include new information.)
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Private equity-backed chain Big Brand says it is acquiring Belle Tire
Reporting by JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
