By joining the Unimax family, North Country Tire continues to build on solid business practices and a first-rate customer reputation.

North Country Tire (NCT) has grown from a small wholesale tire operation, into a go-to distributor for tires in Western Canada. Founded by Cory and Chad Davis, the success of NCT is attributed to a set of fundamental principles—namely family, accountability, simplicity, teamwork and customer experience.

Large footprint

Born out of a family legacy in the tire distribution business in which Cory’s father developed several successful businesses and navigated through economic uncertainty and consolidation, NCT quickly grew in size and stature. From its origins in Edmonton, Alberta, NCT currently operates throughout the province of Alberta as well as British Columbia and Manitoba. It’s large footprint in Western Canada, combined with a stellar reputation for value and service, has led to some robust partnerships, including that with Unimax, which in 2023, acquired a majority interest in NCT.

This coming together of two like-minded distributors represents a major landmark in the Canadian tire distribution business. In reference to the acquisition of NCT, Jean Novak, President and CEO of Unimax, stated that adding a “major player,” like NCT allowed Unimax to “assert its national positioning,” and continue to work towards an objective of being “a true ally in the success of our customers and proactively engaged in an evolving industry.”

NCT President Cory Davis also noted at that time, that “we are proud to announce that we will continue our development in this big new family, our current and future customers will be able to appreciate the daily work of our dedicated and committed teams.” 

Since becoming part of the Unimax banner network (which includes Distribution Stox and Point S), NCT has continued to strengthen its position in Western Canda, while Unimax has reinforced its position as a major player in the wholesale and retail tire space across the country.

Shared values

Jared Powell-Williams, Vice President at NCT explains that having a corporate culture and values that align is key to a successful partnership.

“Although the core values at Unimax may have been written differently, they have a lot of similar aspects to North Country Tire when it comes to the focus of the business and that alignment of values has been hugely beneficial,” says Powell-Williams.

He notes that when those values come together, it makes it much easier to be consistent at a larger, national level, ensuring that the business, employees and customers can deliver high quality and high value service no matter where they operate.

From NCT’s perspective, joining the Unimax family has provided access to one of the leading tire banner programs in Canada, Point S. “We really believe [Point S] is the pinnacle of banner programs and with our focus on growing our banner network, we’ve been finding big wins through this partnership with Unimax,” states Powell-Williams.

Both parties have seen a great deal of success, benefiting significantly from the partnership and this has become even more pivotal as Canada’s tire market continues to evolve. “The market has grown and continues to become ever more complex,” explains Powell-Williams. “When you look at the trends taking place,” he says, “we’re seeing a move toward larger tires and rim diameters, and more performance focused applications.” It means that at both the wholesale and retail level customers require more demands from the tires they purchase, as well as the weather conditions in which those tires operate.

Seasonal shift

Additionally, other trends have seen a shift in timeframes when it comes to peak demand for tires, particularly winter rubber. “There’s definitely been a change in the seasons,” says Powell-Williams. “There was a time when September and October were really the peak in terms of business, but recently it’s shifted. We’re seeing more demand and more customers in November and into December.”

Powell-Williams notes that when you have all these different factors coming together it can be very challenging for a tire retailer to navigate through it all by themselves. That’s why being part of a strong banner program such as Point S is so critical. “When you’re part of a network like this, you can really leverage those partnerships,” says Powell-Williams. “It’s not just about being a distributor who drops off a set of tires,” he states, “but having a business plan where you can share business intelligence and really gain insights into what’s happening at both the distribution and retail level.”

Powell-Williams says that such partnerships really allow distributors and banner networks to see what retailers are facing on a daily basis, what challenges they’re running into and what the needs of their customers are. Additionally, Powell-Williams notes that by having these insights, it enables a constant feedback loop to the distribution side, “where we can adjust how, what and where we inventory—essentially understanding what our partners need.” He says that by doing so, NCT can essentially facilitate an extension of a retail customer’s own inventory within their warehouse.

Unified message

Powell-Williams notes that when you have these kinds of partnerships and operational practices in place, it enables strong customer relationships, in which those clients are invested in the network. In the case of Unimax and North Country Tire, the partnership has resulted in a unified message across Canada, one where customers at both the wholesale and retail level know they can consistently count on the network to deliver, whether it’s through NCT, Distribution Stox, Point S, Local Tire, Otobox or V1.

At NCT, being part of a national tire network also provides advantages, in that customers now have more options, particularly at the national level. “We feel this is really beneficial for them,” Powell-Williams explains. “Whether they’re banner customers, auto dealer customers or corporate accounts, when they’ve got options, specifically another national option, and it represents a unified entity in the market, it’s a big win for them, and also for us as a network.”