Kara is now backed by substantial funding from four investors whom he approached on the basis of their backgrounds in retailing, law and finance. He owns 50 percent of TT, with the other 50 percent owned by the investors. He claims that TT has always offered a “motoring for less” proposition, taking tough areas of the marketplace and reengineering the supply chain to generate cost savings – and therefore lower retail prices.
The company employs 35 people and made a “small profit” last year on a turnover of ฿500m.
However, Kaka expects sales of ฿1.1bn this year. He says that “sales in the first two quarters of
2015 have been 85 percent ahead of the same period last year; customers are price-conscious and they are looking for value.
He is aiming for a 10 percent share of the Thai tyre market. TT has also begun to expand into Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia, which currently contribute to about 10 percent of overall sales. He initially concentrated on mail orders abroad, but intends to scale up to his Thai internet model, with commercial partners. With the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on the horizon, he also hopes to start exporting his business model to Laos, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Price competitiveness is a key concern yet Kara also responds to customer feedback. “We are confident that the (planned) servicing business will be a success, because customers have told us this is what we should be doing next,” he says. “we know there is going to be a big take-up of