VIP Tires & Service opening store in Framingham, Massachusetts

“For us, it’s all about finding the right opportunities – locations like Framingham where we can provide valuable auto repair and maintenance services to customers while growing our business,” said Tim Winkeler, President and Chief Operating Officer, VIP Tires & Service. “Route 9 is one of the busiest roads in Massachusetts, and that means a lot of people with car care needs. With our roster of certified professionals, we look forward to helping the residents of Framingham, and the surrounding towns of Natick, Wayland, Ashland, Marlboro and Wellesley, take care of their cars for years to come.” All VIP Tires & Service locations offer a tire shop and full-service automotive repair, everything from brake repair, preventative maintenance, muffler and exhaust repair, multi-point vehicle inspections, wheel alignments, state inspections and oil changes. In early April, VIP began renovations on the 5,000 square-foot store it now leases. The new VIP store will feature six service bays and will have on-site tire storage space for 1500 tires, which is a 650% increase from the previous company, helping to reduce wait times and provide accessibility to a broad array of tire manufacturers and price points for its customers. Store hours of operation will be Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In addition to providing superior auto and tire services, VIP is very customer focused and wants to ensure an exceptional in-store experience. The company is renovating the customer waiting area, adding a new laptop bar featuring multiple seats with individual plug-ins, which makes it easy for individuals to stay connected to work and family while they wait. A new beverage station is being been added, the two customer bathrooms are being remodeled along with the showroom and customer service counter spaces. VIP also plans to use tablets at its new Framingham location, so its service advisors and technicians are more efficient and able to provide a better experience to customers. When the new store opens, six staff, including four technicians and two service advisors, will be on hand to help customers. Mike Escola, a well-respected auto service store manager in the community, will lead the VIP team at its new Framingham location. The company anticipates hiring two more technicians in the next few months. VIP also plans to host a community grand opening celebration in May and will launch a charitable initiative called Oil Changes for Education designed to raise money to benefit area schools.Finding the right opportunities In less than a year, VIP Tires & Service has opened four new stores; one in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, one in Claremont, New Hampshire, its first store in Vermont located in Williston, and now its fourth store in Massachusetts. According to John Quirk, VIP’s Chairman and CEO, “Over the last several years, we’ve made a real commitment and investment in our people, and now have an incredible team of professionals in place all over New England. That initiative has allowed us to think strategically about new markets and adding stores.”  He continues, “Ultimately, the success of each of our stores comes down to our people and customer engagement process. Our mission at VIP is to earn an automotive customer for life, and we can only do that by being partners with our customers and by delivering exceptional auto repair and maintenance services, with best-in-market tire pricing. Every day, more and more people trust our certified professionals all over New England to take care of their vehicles, so our sales and profitability have never been better, which allows us to find the right market opportunities for growth.”About VIP Tires & Service VIP Tires & Service, a Quirk family-owned business for 93 years based in Auburn, Maine, operates 59 locations throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts providing retail and wholesale tires and installation, and professional automotive services. VIP is the place where New Englanders turn for everything they need to keep their vehicles running at peak performance. For more information, visit: www.vipauto.com.