The Dunlop brand has been part of Goodyear's North American and European portfolio since 1999, and the company secured the rights to the Dunlop brand in those markets as part of the dissolution of its global alliance with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Inc. in 2015.
Since then, Goodyear officials "really haven't done anything with the brand, so I'm not surprised at all that they're getting rid of it," said Mike McHenry, general manager at Gatto's Tires & Auto Service in Melbourne, Fla.
"We haven't stocked Dunlop, any kind of Dunlop tire, in a decade probably.
"Whatever Goodyear programs they had, Dunlop either wasn't on there or you didn't get paid as much. There usually was an equivalent Goodyear tire that you'd buy instead of the Dunlop," he said.
"When they first acquired Dunlop, I kind of assumed that they would keep the brand and maintain it as a specialty, such as for ultra-high-performance or European fitments or something like that, and kind of focus on that with that brand and Goodyear would stay more broad market.
"They just whittled (the Dunlop brand) down to nothing. It's probably been a decade since we stocked any Dunlops at all and we rarely sell them unless someone is trying to match something up," McHenry said. Gatto's operates five retail stores and one commercial/retail outlet.
Sales of the Dunlop brand represent about $700 million annually, according to Goodyear.
"We concluded that a sale of the brand should bring significant value for shareholders, and at the same time, will enable us to focus on the future ... streamlining our manufacturing processes by narrowing our product portfolio to a reduction in the number SKUs," Goodyear CEO, President and Chairman Richard Kramer said.
As part of the plan, Goodyear will reduce non-branded Goodyear SKUs by 20 percent and increase Goodyear-branded SKUs by 10 percent. Cooper, acquired by Goodyear in 2021, will be positioned as a mid-tier product line.
Gatto's is still figuring out how to integrate the Cooper brand into its product screen, which consists of Goodyear, Kelly, Toyo and Firestone, according to McHenry, who surmised Goodyear's Kelly brand may be replaced by the Cooper line someday, or moved to a lower tier.
"We're hopeful the (Kelly) P/LT line stays strong," NKC Tire's Wright said.
"We're disappointed we don't have the (Kelly) commercial line any longer. They split that off and made the Kelly commercial line for the Goodyear commercial service network only and they gave the dealer network the Roadmaster and Cooper brands. We didn't necessarily like losing Kelly, but we're glad we got to keep the Roadmaster and Cooper, at least," he said.
With a hole in its commercial tire product screen from the loss of Kelly, NKC Tire is looking at ways to fill it right now, Wright said.
"We've been increasing our share of the Goodyear and Roadmaster brand, but we're evaluating the best way to go forward."
As for the overall Goodyear Forward plan, Wright is taking a "wait and see" approach to see how the plan unfolds.
"I never want to make a knee-jerk reaction to anything," Wright added. "Without being behind the curtain, we just have to take them at their word that this will be a good thing for us and keep our fingers crossed that it is."
Benton added: "For them to get stronger in their core business makes a lot of sense.
"I don't really think it will affect our business. We need manufacturers to be healthy. We need them all to be sustainable—all the manufacturers in the world. ... I think they are good business moves for (Goodyear) and I don't see it really affecting North America that much myself," Benton said.
