Sears is trying a number of new ways to extract money from its best-known store brands: Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard. One new attempt is a DieHard Auto Center, which opened this week in San Antonio. This test, which uses a former Meineke franchise, is intended to see how well the DieHard name holds up on its own.
It also aims to see how well the DieHard tires hold up against some of the major tire brands on the market. Its first tire, the DieHard Silver Touring All-Season, will go on sale in a few weeks. The Silver Touring is a mid-tier tire that's built for sedans and CUVs. It offers a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. The Silver Touring's directional tread design enhances driving stability and steering responsiveness. Its sipe pattern boosts year-round traction, even in wet conditions.
The new tires were designed and branded by the DieHard team, but they're made by a private-label manufacturer. This was done to help keep costs down, Sears said. Sears managers made the decision to produce the tires after a survey found that when asked to name their preferred brand, many customers named DieHard -- despite the fact that the company had never actually produced any.
