A reputation for tire value.
Over the years, Big O Tires stores across British Columbia have built a reputation for tire value and excellence in customer service. Here's how it started, and why it still holds true, because at Big O, trust is a BIG deal.
Our story
40+ years of value, right across BC.
Our story started the same year Danny DeVito took the helm of a tired old taxi depot on TV, Reese's introduced its Pieces, and Garfield changed our impression of cats forever. In 1978, Big O Tires hung out its shingle in British Columbia under the newly formed group operating as Big O Tires (1978) Ltd. Our 40+ years in BC shows a track record of delivering outstanding service and exceptional value to the communities we serve. Over the years, more and more independent tire shops and service centres have joined our group. Today our stores reach from Vancouver Island to the Okanagan.
But as Paul Harvey used to say, now for the rest of the story. To appreciate the whole thing, you have to turn the clocks back to 1962.
The timeline
Six decades, one idea.
Manufacturer pricing without giving up the personal service your neighbours count on. It's the idea Big O was built on, and it hasn't changed.
Still independent. Still local. Still Big O.
1962
A co-op is born
Back then, Sean Connery's James Bond was facing off against Dr. No, John Glenn took a few laps around the planet, and Marilyn Monroe had just died. The US replacement tire market was exploding, but independent dealers struggled to compete with the major manufacturers' own company stores. A handful of progressive independents banded together as a tire-buying cooperative, securing volume pricing so local shops could match the manufacturers on price while keeping their personal service. Overnight, the Big O Tires brand was born.
1978
The brand heads north
Big O had grown into a full franchise operation across the US, and word spread north. Independent stores and service centres in Canada recognized the value of the model, competitive pricing with exceptional customer service, and Big O Tires (1978) Ltd. was formed to bring it to British Columbia. That track record here now spans 40+ years.
1996
Joining forces
Big O Tires joined forces with TBC Corporation, at the time one of North America's largest marketers of automotive replacement tires, putting even more buying power behind every independently owned store.
Today
450+ locations, one idea
More than 450 Big O locations across 25 US states, plus our independently owned stores serving communities right across British Columbia. It means we serve the needs of more customers than almost any other retail tire brand in North America, and we're proud of that.
Why it still holds true
Three things that have not changed.
The formula that started in 1962 is the same one that earns your trust today.
01
Buying power
By uniting as a cooperative, our stores secure volume pricing that lets independents compete with the manufacturers on price. TBC Corporation put even more behind every store.
02
Personal service
The personalized service you can only expect from a local shop. That is what independent dealers protected in 1962, and it is still how we look after our customers.
03
Independently owned
Our BC stores are independently owned and rooted in their communities, from Vancouver Island to the Okanagan.
A Reputation for Tire Value
Come see what value looks like.
Six decades of buying power and four-plus in BC, all working for you at a store down the road. Find your local Big O and put our reputation to the test.