"In a highly saturated and competitive market, our branding is our greatest asset in the fight for customer recognition," says Morne Dreyer, Supa Quick's franchise director.

"Ultimately, our brand exists in the way our customers perceive us and each of our dedicated team members must strive to be a brand ambassador, building a lasting connection with our customers. Every customer who walks in needs to know they can expect a certain, consistent standard of service," adds Dreyer.

In addition to the modernisation of its corporate identity and visual image, the franchise is updating its positioning from 'Tyre Experts Closer to You' to 'More Than Tyre Experts'.

According to the brand, tyres are still Supa Quick's core business and it is what the brand is known for; but since first launching in South Africa in 1986, it has come to be known for much more, expanding its technical expertise to also include brakes, shocks, batteries, exhausts, wiper blades and various specialised services.

In the beginning of 2021, as a testament to this expansion, Supa Quick says that it was recognised in the Star Readers' Choice Award, winning in the Shocks and Brakes category. It also won the Industry Award for the Service Excellence category in the 2020 Ask Afrika Orange Index Awards.

Supa Quick adds that it expects to differentiate itself in the market by becoming more female-friendly. It will do so with cleaner, more modern and less intimidating spaces and using more neutral colours in waiting areas.

As the company expands its product and service offering in consumers’ minds, it hopes to give customers the same value they've come to expect, but with an improved shopping experience.

"Our brand identity is built on many individual parts, all of which play an important role in who we are," says Yolandi Grundeling, Supa Quick's brand manager. "From our logo to our specified fonts and corporate colours all the way down to how our employees and how our customers are treated, these elements create the integrated corporate identity and how we are perceived."

The stores converting to the new look and feel will also introduce a new coffee offering named 'Supa Coffee', which aims to enhance the customer service experience and move to an improved environmental setting where they can enjoy the new in-house 'Supa' coffee while they wait.

Stores will have different sized set-ups depending on the requirements of their local market, ranging from a small coffee station to a full-on coffee shop. The coffee offering will have the same look and feel, quality and taste throughout all stores, says the brand.

"The essence of the brand goes beyond our logo, typography, customer service, quality, and corporate identity. It's emotional, visual and historical. It['s about how we connect with our customers in a unique brand experience that separates us from our competitors. While we look for a unified identity, we want to retain some flexibility in each individual store," Grundeling says.

Grundeling concludes that the new positioning has already been presented at Supa Quick's various Regional Council meetings and the response has been very positive, with a number of stores already eager to start revamping to the new look-and-feel.

For more information, visit www.dsgn.co.za.