Belle Tire

Last updated
Belle Tire Distributors, Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Automotive, Retail
Founded1922;104 years ago (1922)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
FounderSam Waze
Headquarters
Southfield, Michigan
,
U.S.
Number of locations
185 (November 2025)
Key people
Products Tires, wheels, automotive repair services, auto glass services, oil changes, and wheel alignments
OwnerDon Barnes III
Number of employees
3,000+
Website belletire.com

Belle Tire is an American regional chain of tire shops headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. It was founded in 1922, after its first location was opened in Detroit, Michigan, by Sam Waze. As of 2025, the company operates more than 180 locations in the U.S. states of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. [1]

Contents

History

Belle Tire was founded by Sam Waze in Detroit in 1922. The store was named for his wife, Belle Waze, and was located on Grand River Avenue in Detroit. [2] [3]

In the 1960s, Don Barnes Sr., a Kelly Springfield Tire Company salesman who had been a supplier to Belle Tire, partnered with Herb Waze, who had taken over the business from his father. [4] The partnership proved to be successful, with Belle Tire opening several other locations in the Metro Detroit area. In 1984, the Barnes family bought the Waze family's remaining shares, [2] and continued expansion of the business through acquisitions of American Tire, Capital Tire, Delta Tire, and Great Lakes Tire. [5] [ non-primary source needed ]

Belle Tire grew via the acquisition of Sears National Tire and Battery locations in Michigan in the early 2000s. Since the mid-2000s Belle Tire has continued its expansion throughout Michigan, building new stores in the Metro Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing areas.[ citation needed ]

Belle Tire established its headquarters and primary distribution center in Allen Park, Michigan in 1984. [6] The chain grew significantly in the 1990s through acquisitions: the company acquired Tireman, a competing Detroit-area tire retailer with 13 locations, in 1994, [7] and purchased 9 stores from competitor Metro 25 in 1997. [7] [8] By 1999, Belle Tire had become one of the ten largest independent tire retail chains in the United States. [7]

In 2003, Belle Tire expanded beyond Michigan for the first time, establishing 3 locations in the Toledo metropolitan area in Ohio. [2] [9] In 2006, it relocated its headquarters within Allen Park, moving them into a former Frito-Lay plant. [6]

In 2015, Belle Tire expanded its retail footprint to Indiana with 5 locations: Mishawaka, Elkhart, Terre Haute and two in South Bend. This expansion marked an important moment in the company's more than 90-year history in the tire business.[ citation needed ] It was the company's first move into new territory since expanding from Michigan to northern Ohio more than 30 years ago. [10] In 2015, Don Barnes III was named president. [11] With the success of the brand's expansion into Indiana, Belle Tire added over 30 stores (and counting) in Illinois starting in 2022.

Belle Tire moved its corporate offices from Allen Park to Southfield, Michigan in 2023. [12]

Operations

Belle Tire's mascot is an anthropomorphic tire named Tireman, who appears in the company's logo and marketing. [13]

Sponsorships

Belle Tire is a sponsor of the Detroit Tigers, [14] Detroit Red Wings, [15] Chicago Blackhawks, [16] and Indiana Pacers. [5] [ non-primary source needed ]

References

  1. ↑ "Stocks". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Ahrens, Ronald (2023-05-17). "Retail is Detail". DBusiness Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  3. ↑ Hilton, John (2015-07-22). "Belle Waze, meet Tim Horton". Ann Arbor Observer. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  4. ↑ "Belle Tire's Barnes Sr. Dies at Age 83 - Tire Review Magazine". Tire Review Magazine. 2010-07-29. Archived from the original on 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  5. 1 2 "Our Company History". Belle Tire. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  6. 1 2 Brown, Greg (2006-08-28). "Belle Tire moves HQ to former Frito-Lay plant" . Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  7. 1 2 3 Serwach, Joseph (1999-12-13). "Belle Tire rolls up big growth" . Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  8. ↑ Mikolajczyk, Sigmund (1997-03-17). "METRO 25 FOUNDER TO DE-TIRE, SELL STORES TO BELLE" . Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  9. ↑ "Store makes statement with a huge Old Glory". The Blade . 2003-06-05. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  10. ↑ "Belle Tire proceeds with renovations". Modern Tire Dealer. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  11. ↑ "Belle names Don Barnes III president". Tire Business. October 14, 2014. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  12. ↑ Pinho, Kirk. "Belle Tire moves longtime headquarters to Southfield, Mich" . Tire Business. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  13. ↑ Sickels, David (2025-02-11). "Belle Tire We're Changing Tires Campaign". Tire Review Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  14. ↑ "Tigers Announce 2016 Promotional Giveaways Schedule". Major League Baseball . Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  15. ↑ Pevos, Edward (2025-07-25). "2025-26 Red Wings giveaways include the Zamboni gravy boat and a vintage Bobblehead". MLive . Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  16. ↑ "Belle Tire Becomes NHL Blackhawks' Helmet Sponsor". Modern Tire Dealer. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
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