The latest addition to GfK’s tire industry research team brings a wealth of client-side experience to his new role. Matthew Wright – now Account Director for the POS Tracking (Tires) panel in the US – spent 15 years in key category management and product development positions at two industry giants: Monro and Discount Tire.
Most recently, Wright was Tire Category Manager at Monro, leading a team of analysts responsible for the product screen of over 1,300 locations, ensuring proper assortment based on consumer and local trends and demographics. He also played a key role in the company’s pricing strategy.
Earlier, Wright spent 13 years at Discount Tire, holding regional product marketing and product development positions before becoming Senior Sales and Marketing Analyst on the Category Management team. He led multiple tire categories – including CUV, PLT, Passenger, and Winter – managing retail pricing, product assortment and development.
In his new role at GfK, Wright will support GfK’s POS Tires retail panel, assisting in key functions such as merchandising, assortment, pricing, and category management.
“Matt brings with him invaluable firsthand insight into the priorities and emerging needs of our clients and retailers,” said Neil Portnoy, Managing Director at GfK and leader of the POS Tracking (Tires) team. “He has spent a career learning the nuances of the tire industry and will be continually helping our clients to fully leverage syndicated POS data to make more informed business decisions. As the industry becomes more data focused, Matt will help us deliver what clients are looking for before they even know that they need it.”
Wright holds a BS in Business Marketing from California State University at Long Beach. He lives in Rochester, New York.
Drawing from over 3,500 points of sale, GfK’s POS Tracking (Tires) panel allows manufacturers and retailers to understand for the first time brand share changes, competitive activities, and sell-out pricing at the tire level. With data from January 2016 to the current month, GfK’s panel allows executives to benchmark their performance against the channel and bring a richer, fact-based perspective to decision making.
