CAPE GIRARDEAU AREA IS BIG MARKET FOR TIRE RETAILING

John Lombard is manager of the Cape Girardeau Purcell Tire & Rubber Co.

Buying tires is a lot like buying shoes.

You don't buy slippers with thin soles for hiking in the woods, or for play on a golf course. And you don't buy cleat-spike shoes for dancing.

There's a right shoe for every occasion, and there's a right tire for every driving occasion.

Tire retailers and manufacturers say there is more to consider than just size and price when considering tires.

Proper tire selection hinges on the needs: Who drives the car, the type of vehicle -- front-wheel, rear wheel or four-wheel drive -- and the use of the vehicle (does it tow a boat or trailer?).

A decade ago, vehicle owners spent a week looking for just the right tire. Today, more than 50 percent of vehicle owners select their tires in a day. Today, motorist have a wide variety of tires and dealers -- from giant retailers to company stores to independent tire dealers.

The Cape Girardeau area is a big market for tires.

When independent Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. moved to 2155 William, just up the street from Plaza Tire Service Inc., at 2149 William, it gave the city two of the top 25 independent tire sellers in the nation. To the south of town, at 3480 Nash Road -- between Cape Girardeau and Scott City -- another independent, Raben Tire, is among the top 50 independent dealers.

Also in that same 2100 block of William in Cape Girardeau is Sears Roebuck & Co., one of the largest chain tire retailers in the nation. Also high on the chain list of tire retailers is Wal-Mart and Sam's Wholesale center.

Tires are also available at various other outlets throughout the area.

Plaza Tire Service Inc., which was founded in Cape Girardeau 35 years ago, joined the top 25 independent dealerships during the past year, when it added 11 stores, growing to 35 outlets in a three-state area.

Purcell Tire, headquartered at Potosi, had more than 40 service centers when the latest "Top 75" independents were named, and was number 18 on the list. Purcell has since has added about 20 more and now operates 60 centers operating in 10 states.

Purcell also ranks high on the list of retreaders. The company, ranked 18th among the independents, has retread facilities in five locations, including Potosi and Paducah, Ky.

Raben Tire, headquartered in Evansville, Ind., now has about 30 tire dealerships, with more on the drawing board. At the time of the latest "Top 75" selection, Rabin Tire was number 44 on the list.

The latest annual rankings in the United States and Canada, by Tire Business, a publication which covers the tire distribution center throughout North American, ranked Plaza Tire number 25 in company-owned outlets.

The rankings are based on the number of dealer-owned-and-operated outlets.

The list is the 15th annual rankings of the top 75 companies, which account for more than 5,300 outlets and $4.5 billion in sales of tires, wheels and automotive services.

The size of dealers in the survey reflects the changing face of the tire dealer. Long viewed as primarily local, hometown businesses, independently owned tire dealerships are growing into major enterprises with hundreds of outlets, thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

There are more than 39,000 retail outlets across the United States. Independent tire dealerships -- as opposed to tire company-owned stores, mass chain merchandisers and wholesale clubs -- account for approximately 55 to 60 percent of all retail passengers car and light truck tire sales, and therefore represent the single largest channel of distribution.

Many of the independents have become "mega-dealers," as evidenced by Penske Auto Centers, which has 790 locations. The Schwab Tire Co. is inching up toward 600, and Discount Tire Co. is nearing 400 centers.

But past the giants on the list are the Plaza Tires, the Purcell Tires and Raben Tires.

Along with the smaller groups are such names as Aspen Enterprises, Performance Discount, Tire Town and Dunn, with 15 or under locations.

Plaza Tire, which was founded in 1963 as Plaza Tire Wash by Vernon "Pee Wee" Rhodes, later changed to a full-service tire distributor and retailer, and now has 35 facilities throughout Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri, including the St. Louis area.

"We're looking at two more locations in the near future, at Charleston and Malden," said Scott Rhodes, vice president of the company. "We're looking to expand by two to three new operations a year."

Plaza Tire currently employs more than 300 in its group, which includes operations in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas.

Plaza Tire entered the St. Louis area market about 20 years ago, with a branch in Arnold.

"We currently have three operations in Jefferson County," said Rhodes.

Plaza Tire added five facilities in the St. Charles area of the metropolitan market last year by acquiring five facilities with the purchase of The Tire Factory of St. Charles.

Also in the past year, Plaza Tire opened its third store in Cape Girardeau, a seven-bay operation on Siemers Drive in Cape West Business Park. The company's newest store in Cape Girardeau features a full-service department and performs brake service, alignment, shocks and provides oil change and tire service.

Other Plaza Tire stores in Cape Girardeau are at 2149 William and 1634 N. Kingshighway.

The company offers full lines of tires, including Dayton, Firestone and Michelin, along with a full-auto service department, which provides brakes, shocks, batteries and wheel alignment.

Plaza Tire is headquartered at the William Street location, where the company operates a 12-bay service center, a 53,000-square-foot warehouse, an 8,000-square-foot operations center and a 3,000-square-foot training resource center.

The retail center recently under went an extensive renovation project, including new flooring, ceilings and light fixtures in the showroom.

Mark Rhodes is president of Plaza Tire; Scott Rhodes is vice president and Vernon Rhodes is founder and chairman of the board.

The Purcells have been in the tire business for more than 50 years. The company was founded at Washington, Mo., in 1936. The founder's son, Bob Purcell, a graduate of the University of Missouri, started in the tire business in 1958 as a salesman for Goodyear Tire. He joined his father in 1961. Since then the company has purchased other smaller tire companies and has expanded to its current size.

John Lombard is manager of the Cape Girardeau store.

"The Cape Girardeau market has been a good one for Purcell," said Lombard.

And not only this area has been good for Purcell. The company has added 20 new markets during the past year.

Raben Tire Co. Inc. has been in the tire business more than 40 years.

The company, headquartered in Indiana, features a full line of tires, including Michelin, Good Year, Dunlap, Bridgestone and Cooper. In 1992, Raben purchased Richardson Tire Co. here, and added an inventory of truck and farm equipment tires. The company also is a Bandag retread company and offers 24-hour on-the-road service.

The company has 20 operations in four states: Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Other stores in Southeast Missouri area are in Caruthersville, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Kennett.

Dan Richardson is manager of the local store.

Raben is currently planning new stores for Blytheville and Jonesboro, Ark.