Watts Tyre Group have today announced a signed agreement with Trelleborg Industrial Tires Europe for the distribution of Trelleborg industrial tyre products in France. As part of the agreement Watts will integrate Trelleborg's industrial tyres activities with their own and will now distribute Trelleborg tyre products alongside the Watts product range.

Following this agreement Watts will formally divide their French operations into a wholesale distribution business and a specialist service operation.

The service business, now the largest in France, will trade under the name Interfit and will be the exclusive distributor of Trelleborg industrial tyre products in France.

Chief Executive Jean-Paul Mindermann commented "We believe this to be a hugely significant development both for us as a tyre business and for the French market. We are combining our expertise and service capability with Trelleborg's range of products to create a truly focused service business that offers a clear value to the materials handling market. Interfit will offer a choice of OE specified market leading products and best in class services to the French forklift market."

"Being able to offer customers a choice of tyre products from two of the world's leading tyre producers is only part of the story; through the development of Interfit we are creating a business that is based on service excellence and strong processes. We are confident that customers will recognise the inherent value that such a proposition has and will see the benefits that it delivers."