Michelin has acquired 100% ownership of Allopneus, the French operator in sales and tyre fitting online for private individuals.
Since 2015, Michelin has held 40% of the capital of the company, founded in 2004 by the Blaise family.
With this acquisition, Michelin maintains it is consolidating its e-commerce presence in France.
The Group intends to develop its knowledge of customer behaviour and the purchasing process, from online information seeking, up to tyre fitting.
“The development of e-commerce is one of the tyre market’s structural trends,” said a Michelin statement.
“Seeking information online has therefore become an essential step for two out of three motorists in the weeks preceding the purchase of new tyres. Today, 15% of these people complete their purchase online; a trend which is expected to strengthen in the years ahead.”
Based in Aix-en-Provence, Allopneus has experienced growth since 2004. The company currently accounts for 40% of the French online tyre sales market to private individuals.
Allopneus employs 292 people, works with 6,000 partner fitting operations and has a logistics centre in Valence. Each year, the company sells some 3.6m touring tyres and receives around 27m visits to its website.
The acquisition of 100% ownership of Allopneus is subject to approval from the French Competition Authority.