Online tyre pioneer joins US firm aiming to gain momentum

Blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch has joined the board of a fellow online tyre retailer in the US that forecasts triple-digit growth this year.

Welch, who founded Blackcircles in 2001 and sold it to Michelin for £50 million in 2015, has signed up as a strategic adviser at Philadelphia- based Simpletire. It sources inventory from independent suppliers and ships to any location. Chief executive Andy Chalofsky said Welch “is a pioneer in the e-commerce and tyre industries and we are excited to welcome him to Simpletire.

“We believe his strong experience, especially in market development activity, will be extremely valuable as Sim- pletire continues to grow.” The new role comes as Edinburgh-based Welch takes a less hands-on role at Blackcircles, which saw turnover jump nearly a third to £52m in 2016, although he continues to advise its board.

He is also the chairman of fashion website Atterley.com and has raised £1m for the firm.

Welch said: “I admire Sim- pletire for its innovative business model and dynamic leadership team, and I’m honoured to be joining their exciting journey. I have tremendous respect for [them], and I look forward to working with them.”

Simpletire has a network of more than 2,000 suppliers, while it notched up record sales in 2016 and expects triple-digit growth in 2017. 0 Welch praises Simpletire’s ‘innovative’ business model