From Tire Review
            
Bridgestone Americas is rebadging some of its company-owned retail tire and service centers and shuttering some others.
 
By the end of the first quarter of 2014, Bridgestone will rename 63 Expert Tire locations as Firestone Complete Auto Care stores and another two as Hibdon Tires Plus.
 
In addition, as of Dec. 31, 2013, 15 Expert Tire stores were closed. Bridgestone said that the “vast majority of the employees impacted by these closings will be reassigned to other locations.”
 
“After a careful review process, we determined that converting our Expert Tire stores best aligns with our strategic direction and makes the most sense for our customer base. The stores will benefit from the brand equity inherent in the Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus names, as well as their marketing programs,” said Stu Crum, president of Bridgestone Americas’ store group.
 
The name change will not impact products or services offered by the stores, Bridgestone said.