August 27, 2018—VIP Tires & Service opened a new store in West Lebanon, N.H. It is the company’s 57th store in Northern New England. VIP now has 19 locations in New Hampshire, 3 in Massachusetts and 35 in Maine.
The new VIP store is located at the former City Tire facility. VIP has signed an initial 10-year lease with renewal options and has spent the last several months hiring seven technicians and store managers. The company has also extensively renovated the facility. When the new store opens, VIP will have invested more than $500,000 in the new location.
“The Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont is a strong and growing market, and one that we’ve wanted to have a presence in for a long time,” said Tim Winkeler, president and chief operating officer, VIP Tires & Service. “VIP is already a well-recognized brand in New Hampshire and our new location, just off Main Street in West Lebanon is perfectly situated to service all of the communities of the Upper Valley.”
VIP’s new West Lebanon store boasts 3,200 square feet and 6 full bays, plus on-site storage for more than 1,500 tires. Additional renovation highlights include:
- Raising the showroom ceiling from 7 to 12 feet and adding large windows between the showroom and bays so that customers can watch their vehicles while they are being worked on
- Installing all new lifts in the shop, as well as state-of-the-art alignment and tire equipment
- Creating a 30-foot tire display wall so that customers can make selections more easily
- Installing an ADA-compliant entrance ramp for greater customer accessibility
- Updating existing customer restrooms and building a new employee restroom
- Installing all new heating systems
- Refurbishing the exterior with all an all-glass front, new paint and signage
