How do I find out how many tire shop sales come from changeover season alone?

Monthly figures are the starting point, and they must be monthly, not annual totals. Ask for several years so a mild or harsh winter does not mislead you. Plot them and mark the weeks when drivers swap tires. The height of those peaks against the rest of the year shows how seasonal the shop really is.

Next, separate the services. Ask whether the point-of-sale system can report changeovers, tire sales, repairs, alignments and storage on their own. Check whether changeover customers also buy other things, or only come for the swap. A customer who visits twice a year for storage is different from a one-off.

Finally, look at the quiet months. Ask what staff do, how hours are cut and which costs stay fixed. Cash flow through the slow stretch matters as much as the busy peak. Talk to the seller about how they have planned for that gap. Weather matters as well. Ask how the shop copes when a late cold snap or an early thaw compresses the rush into a few days, and how it handles lines out the door. Capacity during the peak, such as bays, lifts and trained staff, limits what any owner can earn, so ask what the shop turned away in busy weeks.

Key takeaways

• Request monthly sales for several years, not annual totals.
• Split changeover income from repairs and new tire sales.
• Study the slow months for staffing and fixed costs.