Key Takeaways
- • Sun Auto Tire & Service is preparing to open its 600th location, with the company's 600th store expected in August, according to CEO Tony Puckett in a Modern Tire Dealer Q&A.
- • Sun has added more than 80 locations over the past 12 months, which Puckett attributes to a disciplined market approach, strengthening core and adjacent markets, and opportunistic acquisitions such as Vannoy's Tire in Florida's Panhandle.
- • Sun operates under nearly 70 retail banners and keeps acquired brands where they are well established, while leveraging the Sun Auto Network for common services such as warranty and fleet service.
- • Leonard Green & Partners is Sun's private equity backer, and Puckett says its financial support enables Sun's acquisition pipeline.
- • Puckett cites private equity interest in the tire and auto sector as driven by a fragmented market and resilient performance, and says M&A competition has intensified.
Summary
Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. is preparing to open its 600th location, a milestone CEO Tony Puckett said the company expects to reach in August, according to an exclusive Q&A with Modern Tire Dealer (MTD). Puckett said Sun has added more than 80 locations over the past 12 months by taking a disciplined approach to the market, strengthening its core and adjacent markets, and remaining open to opportunistic deals. He cited the acquisition of Vannoy's Tire in the Florida Panhandle as an example. Sun plans to grow around that business through greenfield development and additional acquisitions.
On geography, Puckett said Sun began in the West and Southwest and continues to focus on those markets, including Colorado assets acquired through Drive Automotive. The company is working to strengthen its positions in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest, has grown aggressively in the Midwest through the Plaza Tire Service model acquired in late 2021, and is expanding into the Southeast and coastal North Carolina. Puckett said Sun will pursue high-quality businesses in new markets and that many acquisitions stem from long-standing relationships with owners preparing for an exit.
Sun operates nearly 70 retail banners. Puckett said the company keeps acquired brands that are well established locally, since those names may carry more regional recognition than Sun Auto, and that new Midwest greenfields will operate as Plaza Tire Service stores. Common services, including warranty and fleet service, are intended to give customers consistent support across regions. Sun launched the Sun Auto Network internally at its company workshop this year, with external promotion still relatively new, and Puckett said many stores carry the Sun Auto brand with the network as a secondary component.
Puckett also addressed private equity. Sun's backer, Leonard Green & Partners, provides the financial capacity for acquisitions. MTD noted that four of the 10 largest tire dealerships on the 2026 MTD 100 are owned by private equity. Puckett attributed this to a highly fragmented industry, a resilient business model, and automotive performance that holds up in both strong and weak economies. He said M&A has become more competitive and predicted that private equity involvement will continue to grow, intensifying as the economy improves. Puckett said Sun is "foot-on-the-gas" and far from finished.
On geography, Puckett said Sun began in the West and Southwest and continues to focus on those markets, including Colorado assets acquired through Drive Automotive. The company is working to strengthen its positions in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest, has grown aggressively in the Midwest through the Plaza Tire Service model acquired in late 2021, and is expanding into the Southeast and coastal North Carolina. Puckett said Sun will pursue high-quality businesses in new markets and that many acquisitions stem from long-standing relationships with owners preparing for an exit.
Sun operates nearly 70 retail banners. Puckett said the company keeps acquired brands that are well established locally, since those names may carry more regional recognition than Sun Auto, and that new Midwest greenfields will operate as Plaza Tire Service stores. Common services, including warranty and fleet service, are intended to give customers consistent support across regions. Sun launched the Sun Auto Network internally at its company workshop this year, with external promotion still relatively new, and Puckett said many stores carry the Sun Auto brand with the network as a secondary component.
Puckett also addressed private equity. Sun's backer, Leonard Green & Partners, provides the financial capacity for acquisitions. MTD noted that four of the 10 largest tire dealerships on the 2026 MTD 100 are owned by private equity. Puckett attributed this to a highly fragmented industry, a resilient business model, and automotive performance that holds up in both strong and weak economies. He said M&A has become more competitive and predicted that private equity involvement will continue to grow, intensifying as the economy improves. Puckett said Sun is "foot-on-the-gas" and far from finished.
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