Tyre retailer Merityre Southfields in Wandsworth has become a Bridgestone e-CENTRE. The tyre manufacturer assessed the garage’s environmental responsibility, staff wellbeing, and customer experience to grant the Merityre branch its e-CENTRE accreditation. In total, the branch was measured against 80-plus Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria, along with benchmarks for customer experience and operational excellence.
The e-CENTRE Excellence Programme reflects Bridgestone UK’s vision for the future of mobility, the manufacturer states. It supports tyre retailers’ adoption of best practices while delivering a premium service to motorists. The programme was developed in collaboration with Ernst & Young, which identified future ESG requirements for tyre retailers.
Merityre’s e-CENTRE initiatives
As part of its transformation into an e-CENTRE, Merityre Southfields implemented a wide range of sustainability and employee wellbeing initiatives, setting a strong example for other businesses in the industry to follow. Such initiatives include:
- Entire site upgrade with energy-efficient LED lighting and motion sensors to minimise unnecessary energy use
- Ensuring 95 per cent of waste tyres are collected and processed by certified recyclers, promoting responsible disposal and a circular economy
- Tracking and working to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions, including a transition to electric vehicles, installation of EV charging points, and exploration of solar panel installation
- Developing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) policy to foster a more inclusive working environment
Bridgestone praises Merityre’s hard work
Gresia Cabrera, Bridgestone’s business development manager and project lead for the e-CENTRE programme, said that Merityre is “one of the most progressive retail networks, setting the standard for automotive retail excellence in a number of ways…” She added that the centre’s team “continues to demonstrate an exceptional commitment to sustainability, customer care and employee development, going above and beyond the levels required to earn our accreditation. Their work is helping to shape a new benchmark for what the future of tyre retail should look like.”
Dene Arnold, Merityre director, added: “We’ve worked hard to embed a sustainable way of thinking into everything we do. This ranges from waste management to customer service, and from reducing emissions to looking after our people. This accreditation shows how far we’ve come and encourages us to keep pushing forward.”
Oliver Waters, co-founder & CPO at TrackZero, said: “Merityre Southfields is making impressive progress in embedding environmental best practices into everyday operations. Their proactive approach to measuring and reducing emissions sets a great example for the industry. It’s a pleasure to support them alongside Bridgestone as they lead the way in building a more sustainable future for mobility.”
Bridgestone’ £1m investment
Bridgestone UK says it has committed more than £1 million in investment to its e-CENTRE programme. The manufacturer wants to build a network of 150 retail sites across Europe in the coming years.
The initiative is designed to:
- improves customer experience
- reduce the environmental impact of customer’s mobility
- and align with Bridgestone’s global ‘E8 Commitment’ to create social and customer value across eight focus areas: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment.
