Michael Humphreys has been appointed by Supa Quick as its new managing director. Humphreys will continue to lead the company in line with Bridgestone Southern Africa’s vision of delivering accelerated social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company. In order to achieve this, his appointment seeks to establish a new management structure that has a sharper focus on distinct Bridgestone business portfolios, including the Supa-Quick franchise, its core tyre and rubber business and its mining solutions business. Humphreys has extensive retail and franchise experience that he has built up over more than 20 years in this environment, which make him ideally suited to drive Bridgestone’s vision for Supa Quick. He transitioned from designing retail spaces as an architect to helping brands like SPAR and ESKORT improve their retail efficiencies. Most recently, as retail director at ESKORT, he was instrumental in developing the group’s franchising model and expanding its existing retail base. “I’m really thrilled about this opportunity to join Supa Quick at such an exciting time,” Humphreys says. “We’ll be working hard for Supa Quick to stand on its own as we emerge from under the Bridgestone banner. We’ll naturally retain our close ties with our mother group, but we’ll now have a greater focus on increasing our product selection and services that we can offer our franchisees and customers.” Bringing his retail experience to bear, Humphreys says the fitment industry needs to diversify the range of services it offers, as well as how they’re offered. For instance, recent changes in legislation allow owners to maintain their vehicles at non-OEM repairers without forfeiting their warranty. This, Humphreys says, presents a golden opportunity to rethink the fitment centre model. “I think the opportunity for a fitment centre to diversify into under-body items and servicing is key, and we need to be agile in that. The current tough economic climate and customers’ needs to save on costs really give us the opportunity to explore new possibilities in providing them with a new product and service portfolio,” he says. “It’s really an ideal opportunity for customers to do minor servicing like oil, filter and battery changes while having their tyres changed or aligned. The convenience of not having to book your car in for an entire day, I think, would be very appealing.” As a further signal of the customer-centric approach, Humphreys wants to pursue a Supa Quick app that will be launched later in 2023.
