SmarTire Europe Launches Direct Marketing Program
19 February 1999
SmarTire Europe Launches Direct Marketing Program
RICHMOND, British Columbia--Feb. 19, 1999-- SmarTire(VSE:SES.) SmarTire System's European subsidiary, SmarTire (Europe) Limited will be a major exhibitor at the National Boat, Caravan and Leisure Show in Birmingham, England, February 20-28, 1999.
The show is expected to attract over 125,000 visitors and will mark the launch of SmarTire Europe's first direct marketing program. The program will be test marketed in the United Kingdom before being rolled out in other European regions. Full-page advertisements in the United Kingdom's leading caravan publication were placed as lead-up to the show.
SmarTire Europe is releasing three new tire pressure monitoring products that offer two, four and six wheel systems designed for caravan applications. A voucher included in the price of the product enables the consumer to have the SmarTire product fitted free in one of 400 Hi-Q (Goodyear) outlets in the United Kingdom. Nigel Hammond, Business Development Manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland stated, "We expect this program will be the first of many direct sales programs as we target other tire monitoring applications and other markets within Mainland Europe."
Of the 43 countries forming Greater Europe, the five major countries, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, are SmarTire's main targets. The remaining 38 countries will require independent distributors for SmarTire products. To date, distributors have been established in Switzerland, Iceland, Ireland, Holland and Belgium. Negotiations are underway with potential distributors for Turkey, Portugal, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. To introduce SmarTire monitoring systems to the European community, SmarTire products will be on display at many exhibitions throughout Europe in 1999 including the prestigious Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.
"Europe is a varied and complex market. Our approach is to establish contracts with major distributors in the big five countries and with localized distributors in the smaller ones," explained Ian Bateman, Managing Director, SmarTire Europe. "In the big five, we are negotiating with the largest fast fit groups (tire/battery/exhaust retailers) which we believe represent over 4,000 potential outlets for SmarTire products."
SmarTire Systems Inc.develops and markets proprietary tire monitoring systems for the European and North American automotive aftermarkets. Through a strategic alliance, SmarTire and TRW Inc. are committed to providing superior tire monitoring systems for both aftermarket and original equipment applications. Additional information is available at www.smartire.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Robert V. Rudman, C.A., President and CEO.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing and general economic conditions as they affect the Company's customers. Actual results and developments may therefore differ materially from those described in this release.
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