Kerr’s Tyres Group has acquired Farmer Autocare, extending its retail footprint into Scotland with the addition of 21 sites and almost 200 employees. The deal brings together two family-run businesses and gives the Belfast-based group a larger platform for its stated ambition to build a broader UK-wide service network.
Farmer Autocare was founded by Sir Tom Farmer in 2003 and has built a sizeable presence in the Scottish servicing, maintenance and repair market. Under the transaction, the business will continue to trade with its existing management team, led by managing director Colin McNeill, which points to continuity for customers and staff as ownership changes.
For Kerr’s Tyres Group, the acquisition marks another step in a fast-moving expansion programme. The Antrim-based business says it now operates more than 27 retail sites alongside a commercial tyre division and a tyre distribution operation serving the Irish market. It has also set out plans to reach 250 sites across the UK over the next five years, with further acquisitions expected to play a central role.
Norman Kerr, founder and CEO of Kerr’s Tyres Group, described Farmer Autocare as “an exceptional business” whose approach to customers and colleagues closely matches Kerr’s own. He said the group wants to preserve the qualities that made the Scottish operator successful while using greater operational scale to support growth across both businesses.
Colin McNeill said the investment would create new opportunities for Farmer Autocare and support faster centre expansion across Scotland. That suggests Kerr’s sees the deal as more than a geographic extension. It also gives the group a stronger base in a neighbouring market with an established local brand and management structure already in place.
The transaction is significant because it moves Kerr’s Tyres from regional consolidation into wider UK network building. Tyre News previously reported on Kerr’s Tyres Group acquiring Maghera Tyre Centre in strategic expansion and on Kerr’s Tyres acquiring Ballymoney Tyre Centre, which lifted the network to 28 points of sale in September 2025. Against that backdrop, the Farmer Autocare deal looks like the group’s most substantial expansion move to date and its clearest signal yet that acquisition-led growth remains central to its model.
The deal also reflects a broader aftermarket trend. Established regional service businesses with strong local identities remain attractive targets for groups seeking scale without starting from scratch. In practice, retaining the incumbent management team can reduce disruption while giving the new owner immediate access to skilled staff, customer relationships and an operating footprint that would take years to assemble organically. This time, that model gives Kerr’s a direct route into Scotland while allowing Farmer Autocare to pursue expansion with greater financial backing.
Tagged with: Kerr’s Tyres Group, Farmer Autocare, tyre retail acquisition, Scotland tyre market, UK aftermarket, automotive servicing, retail network expansion, family-run business, tyre distribution, commercial tyre business
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