WAYNE, N.J. — Hankook Tire America Corp. announced it was named a 2013 Partner in Transformation for Sears Holdings Corp. Byeong Jin Lee, president of Hankook Tire America Corp., accepted the award for Partner in Transformation: CEO at the Sears Holdings 2013 Vendor Summit last week.
Sears Holdings presented the prestigious Partners in Transformation award to a select group of supplier companies that excel in supporting the transformation of Sears Holdings through innovation around the "Shop Your Way" program, core retail excellence, and financial and operational discipline. Of the more than 30,000 suppliers that work with Sears Holdings, less than one half of one percent received this award.
"The Partners in Transformation award recognizes our top-performing suppliers as true partners that support our transformation in becoming a leader in integrated retail," said Edward S. Lampert, Sears Holdings’ chairman and chief executive officer. "They provide the quality products, services and experiences that exceed the expectations of our Shop Your Way members, and enable us to build successful, meaningful relationships with them. Through our continued collaboration, we will be able to more effectively leverage the breadth of our portfolio and the power of our brands to meet our members and customers’ needs."
The Partners in Transformation recipients were selected from nominations that were submitted by those Sears Holdings’ associates responsible for purchasing decisions.
"Hankook Tire is a proud vendor of Sears, and we are honored to have received this special award," said Lee. "Our close relationship with Sears has enabled both parties to provide consumers with the products and value they desire. The RoadHandler tire line is a perfect example, combining Hankook’s leading design and manufacturing abilities with Sears’ extensive chain of retail locations and automotive expertise."
The Hankook manufactured and co-branded RoadHandler brings the well-known brand back to the retail market for consumers across the U.S. Both Hankook and Sears benefit from the re-launch of the RoadHandler tire; with Hankook gaining the extensive consumer accessibility and marketing know-how from one of the country’s preeminent tire and auto service retail chains, and Sears Automotive receiving a high-quality tire designed and manufactured by one of the most technologically advanced and fastest growing tire companies in the world.
"This prestigious Sears Partners in Transformation CEO Award represents a great collaboration between Hankook and Sears Auto Centers to re-introduce the iconic RoadHandler tire," said Joe Finney, senior vice president and president of Sears Auto Centers.
For more information on RoadHandler tire sizes, availability and pricing, as well as more information on Sears Auto Center services, visit www.Sears.com/RoadHandler.
