Tyre Bazaar at Bhawanipore

Team Chronicle

Calcutta has a vast number of bazaars which defy the regular definition of a market because they are not organised ones but merely a cluster of shops that sells a single item. Yet, they offer customers the best prices and wide variety to choose from and are truly ‘bazaars’ in that sense of the term. The tyre bazaar at Bhawanipore is a perfect example of a market where customers and even lay men can be assured of a good bargain.

The Bazaar
While moving south by Ashutosh Mukherjee Road from the Elgin Road crossing towards Jagubabur Bazar, one is bound to notice the piles of tyres on the pavements on either side of the road. Yet, you seldom realise in the middle of all the chaos around you that it is the tyre bazaar of the city.

Like most other bazaars in the city, the tyre market at Bhowanipore is not an organised one but a result of mushrooming shops selling the same product- tyres. There areabout 15 showrooms and shops dealing in new tyres here. A brand new franchise of the age old ‘Continental’ tyre, a huge showroom of ‘Bridgestone’ tyres and outlets of Punjab Motor Traders stand tall in a bazaar which offers a wide choice of foreign and Indian-made tyre brands. Located between eateries and office buildings, it appears to be an unlikely location for such a bazaar but actually it has existed for quite some time, much before the restaurants and offices came up.

The Shops
There are shops in the bazaar which have been running for almost 70 years while some are new kids on the block relying more on glitz and display to wean away the customers from the older ones. For instance at one end there is a relatively new entrant which deals in Continentaltyres – the German tyre giant spreading its chain across the globe since 1871. There are outlets of Punjab Motor Traders and South End Tyres, Sundaram Tyres, Khalsa Tyres and franchises of  Yokohama and Bridgestone tyres.

Babloo Singh, owner of Punjab Motor Traders said: “Our family has been in this business since 1947. Today, we sell products of almost all major brands in the Indian tyre market. We stock a variety of tyres of scooters, motorcycles, nylon conventional and passenger radial tyres.” South End Tyres which similarly deals in tyres- of almost all makes and brands is also a noted player in the bazaar. “I started my shop in 1972. We stock a huge variety of tyres.” Tyre Point on Justice Chandra Madhab Road is also one of the oldest shops in the area but sells JK Tyres primarily. Up ahead on Ashutosh Mukherjee Road is the Indo Radial Tyres which along with selling tyres of multiple brands provides services such as wheel balancing and alignment too.

The Competition
Ask any shopkeeper about the competition in the market and they describe it to be a stiff one. This bazaar offers customers a wide choice both in terms of products and price. With a number of shops rubbing shoulders, customers are able to gauge the prevailing prices after a quick market survey. They also get a chance to bargain. After a quick hop from one shop to another, they get a rough idea of the prices while shops have to keep their profits at a minimum to survive the competition.The shop owner is always on the edge and tries to attract customers by offering quality products and a wide choice of brands.

“The shop getting the first query tries to close the deal with the least margin as he doesn’t want to lose the customer to others.” Undoubtedly, at the tyre bazaar in Bhawanipore- the customer is the king.

Products
The major players in the tyre bazaar are JK Tyres, Ceat, MRF, Apollo, Good Year and Bridgestone. While Continental tyres are still trying to make a mark in the market, Yokohama tyres seem to be experiencing a down swing. There are tyres for wet or dry conditions, tarred roads or for off-roading, tubeless or with tubes for SUVs or luxury sedans or the practical hatch backs. Also one finds tyres for scooty or even high performance motor bike; the bazaar has it all, that too, at the right price. From car owners to trained professionals, the tyre bazaar is a one stop destination for customer of all kinds of tyres.

Source
Products are sourced from authorized manufacturers of the respective brands and are 100% genuine. Supply and demand are the simple factors determining the purchase of products for the dealers. There are shops in the bazaar which are authorized dealers of JK, Yokohama or Bridgestone and then there are outlets which deal in multiple brands. Apart from tyres, the bazaar has attracted sellers of other car accessories.

Batteries
There are two dealers of car batteries in the bazaar. One is an authorized dealer in Amaron batteries and the other, that of Exide batteries.

Alloys
The first customization to go with tyres is alloys and the bazaar is ready for that too. The Yokohoma outlet, the Bridgestone outlet and Indo Radial Tyres have a large variety of options to choose from. Ranging between INR12,000 to INR 35,000, the alloys market may be smaller in scale but surely not in terms of sale.

Wheel Alignment & Balancing
With the purchase of tyres comes the immediate task of fitting them correctly and this leads to wheel balancing and alignment. Almost allshops offer services such as tyre fitting and almost every other shop has certified professionals offering wheel balancing and alignment services.

In all, the tyre market at Bhawanipore road is a trusted one stop destination which has evolved with time. Unlike stand alone shops, this bazaar offers a wider variety of products and at the same time pricesare reasonable. So head for this bazaar whenever you feel your car or two wheelers require a tyre overhauling.

Fast Facts
Location: On Ashutosh
Mukherjee Road between Elgin
Road and Jagu Bazaar
Open: Monday to Saturday
Timing: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Car park: On Justice Chandra
Madhab Road & Rajendra Road