Sears Auto Centers (NASDAQ:SHLD) is teaming up with the retailer Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) to provide full-service tire installation for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon.com.
The move, which was revealed at a yearly shareholders’ meeting in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, pushed shares in Sears up 15.4% to US$3.18 in early trade.
The way it will work is that Amazon customers will select their tires online and choose a Sears location, where they will be shipped, as well as a preferred date and time for the tire installation.
The program will be rolled out first at 47 Sears Auto centers across Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. After this test run, the two companies have grand plans to introduce the program across the U.S.
As part of the agreement, Sears will also sell its DieHard line of tires on Amazon.com
Sears first started a relationship with Amazon.com last summer when it began selling Kenmore-branded appliances on Amazon.
News of the deal sent shares of automotive services company Monro Inc. (NASDAQ:MNRO) skidding 6.8% to US$3.85.