Iconic Australian Tyre Retailer Beaurepaires to Close 100 Stores

One of Australia’s oldest tyre retailers has collapsed, leaving the fate of hundreds of employees in the dark. On Feb. 8, Beaurepaires, a 100-year-old Australian and New Zealand tyre retail and repair chain, revealed that the company would cease operation in the next 12 months. The announcement followed the failed acquisition offer to rival Bob Jane Corporation. Beaurepaires was in the middle of a transition to a new business model when the collapse occurred. The company said the closure would cause 700 employees to lose jobs and 100 retail stores to be vacated or sold. Founded in 1922 as a small tyre-repairing store by Frank Beaurepaire, a former Olympic swimmer, the company grew to become a major type company in Australia between the 1940s and 1960s....