Continental partners with Emirates for Universal Tyres as official tyre distributor in UAE

These activities are coordinated from the representative office of Continental`s new business unit MENENA which is focusing on business development in the Middle East and the North Africa region.

Speaking to the press in Dubai, Dr. Hartmut Wohler, Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales for Continental's replacement business in Europe and Africa, said:

"As the European market leader in the passenger and light truck tyre business and number three in the European truck tyre business we are keen to establish a solid foothold for our business in the United Arab Emirates. This is an increasingly important market for us due to the high proportion of luxury cars, sports utility vehicles and sports cars on the roads here. This region is a very attractive proposition for us and we believe we can offer our Continental brand portfolio with all summer tyres including 4x4 products as well as truck, bus and industrial tyres."

"The relationship with our new partner Emirates for Universal Tyres LLC is an important milestone for us and we are looking forward to building a successful business in the region in conjunction with them", Wohler added.

Hisham Layali, Managing Director of Emirates for Universal Tyres LLC, said: "This is a very significant day for us and we are very proud to be the official distributor of Continental in the UAE. The Continental brand is acknowledged around the world for its sophisticated, reliable and high performance products which have a natural fit with the significantly high proportion of vehicles driven here in the Emirates. We are very excited about working together to further grow the brand and gain market share in the region."

Emirates for Universal Tyres was established in 2005 primarily to develop the Continental business within the United Arab Emirates and initially in Abu Dhabi. It belongs to the portfolio of the Abdulla AlMasaood & Sons Group of Companies which are based in Abu Dhabi. The company has three state-of-the-art showrooms and a service centre in Abu Dhabi, two showrooms and service centre in Dubai as well as three warehouses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.

Jon Ander Garcia, Regional Manager for Continental in the MENENA region, added: "We see excellent growth opportunities especially for our premium brand products and we will start similar co-operations in several countries in this region in the coming years also. If we see opportunities to extend our business model by implementing our successful multi brand strategy we will do it."