BlackCircles founder joins US online retailer

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Founder of BlackCircles.com Michael Welch has joined the US-based online tire retailer SimpleTire as a strategic advisor.

Welch founded BlackCircles in 2001 as the world’s first “click & fit” for tires, which became one of the most successful tire retailers in the UK before it was bought by Michelin in 2015.

Welch will continue to advise the board of BlackCricles as well as being the chairman of Atterley.com, a network of independent fashion retailers.

“Michael is a pioneer in the e-commerce and tire industries and we are excited to welcome him to SimpleTire" said Andy Chalofsky, SimpleTire CEO. “We believe his strong experience, especially in market development activity, will be extremely valuable as SimpleTire continues to grow.”

SimpleTire has a network of over 2,000 suppliers, 10,000 installers and sells over 300 brands of tire.

The online retailer claims to have a high Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures customer loyalty. At of 76, SimpleTire claims to have one of the highest figures in the industry.

“We conducted an exhaustive search for someone who would further strengthen our board’s breadth of talent and background, and we are delighted to have identified such an outstanding individual,” said Chalofsky.

Welch started his first online tire business in 1995 in Liverpool, UK at the age of 17. He sold that business to the UK's fast fit chain Kwik-Fit and joined them before leaving in 2002 to launch Blackcircles.com.

“I admire SimpleTire for its innovative business model and dynamic leadership team, and I’m honoured to be joining their exciting journey,” said Welch.