“There’s a perception that doing things the more environmentally-friendly way will be more costly and that will push prices up,” says Chris, “but that’s not always true. For example, using fewer resources to produce a product may be environmentally-friendly and cost-saving at once, and choosing new or nearly new things that would otherwise have been thrown away is almost always cheaper.”

Going Green with Tyres: Multiple Benefits

Just keeping car tyres in good condition and replacing them when necessary is already eco-friendly and can be a cost saving. “Good quality tyres improve fuel efficiency,” explains Chris, “and if the car is more fuel-efficient, it also produces fewer emissions while being cheaper to run.” 

However, Branigans takes the combination of saving customers money while benefiting the environment a step further. The business offers “nearly new” tyres that Chris and his team source and thoroughly check before resale. 

“Only the best ones will do for Branigans,” says Chris, “and the guarantee offered ensures that consumers can buy them with complete confidence. Needless to say, the tread of the tyres chosen for resale is in good condition, and the inspection eliminates tyres with any flaws. It’s a great way to save people money with tyres that are still good for thousands of kilometres. And since perfectly good tyres that would otherwise have been dumped now have a longer time in service, it’s environmentally friendly too.” 

Old Tyres Reused or Recycled

Environmentally-conscious motorists may find themselves wondering about the other end of the tyre life-cycle. After all, old tyres are removed and disposed of whenever tyres are replaced. But Chris has this end of things sewn up too. “There are many ways to recycle old tyres nowadays,” says Chris, “and Branigans is very particular about where waste tyres end up. They should never be burned or sent to landfills, for example.”

Despite advances in recycling, Chris admits that rubber car tyres still aren’t ideal from an environmental perspective: “Some of the big tyre manufacturing companies are working on improving lifespan and recyclability through using different designs and materials,” he says, and there are already indications that they may have found a better solution. How long it will take these advances to reach the general motoring public is a matter for speculation. Meanwhile, everybody needs tyres, and by conducting its business as it does, Branigans limits the environmental impact of its activities while providing safe, cost-effective, and above all, greener tyres to its customers. 

Eco-Friendly Can be Cheaper – and it’s Not Just Tyres

“There are certainly times when greener alternatives will be more costly,” says Chris, “but it won’t always be the case. Sometimes, the planet-friendly option will have a lower price tag, as it does at Branigans, but sometimes, comparing costs can mean looking at things like running costs or the expected useful lifespan of an item to weigh cost against benefits properly.”

“It’s great that people are willing to pay more for greener options, but if they follow the principles of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,’ being green will very often cost less. Branigans Tyres does all three, and the savings are passed on to its clients.”

For further information, visit or call Chris and his team at Second Hand Tyres Gold Coast |Branigans Budget Tyres by contacting the Service Centres in Burleigh Heads (07) 5535 2660 or Southport (07) 5591 8633.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Military Precision

Chris was just 16 when he joined the army as an apprentice automotive engineer. Discovering a love for all things mechanical, he soldiered through his apprenticeship, rose through the ranks, and ended up teaching other young apprentices the skills of his trade. “I know a reasonable amount about vehicles,” says Chris, who certainly made the most of his 20-year army career to acquire knowledge and then pass it on. 

Sporting Excellence

The next chapter of Chris’s career had nothing to do with his love of cars, but it did involve something else that Chris loves: sport. With a first-class rugby career to back him up, Chris brought his love for developing people’s potential to the sportsfield as a development manager for a New Zealand rugby team. 

“It was a very exciting time,” says Chris. “Jonah Lomu and three or four other famous All Blacks were on the team at the time. It reached the finals and had a massive following.”

But rugby wasn’t the only sport to enjoy Chris’s attention. For five years, he managed a top Auckland golf course, managing its attendant club and overseeing the redevelopment of the course which is still recognised as one of the best in the country. 

Finding Inspiration

Influential figures feature in many success stories, and it was during his time managing the golf club that Chris encountered the person who inspired him to move towards an adventure in entrepreneurship. “He had a lot of business knowledge, and it was time to gain new skills to fill a knowledge-gap. Getting an MBA seemed like the best option – it was a great challenge and a massive commitment, but very enjoyable.”

After completing his MBA, new horizons beckoned – both in terms of his career and the country he calls home. He admits that thanks to his qualifications and experience he could easily have entered the corporate world, but the idea didn’t suit his goals or his spirit of adventure, so Chris moved to Australia and began casting around for opportunities. He found them.

“There was a little business in a shed in a back alley in Southport. It was a tyre workshop with an unprepossessing exterior and what seemed like very little stock.” Chris bought the business. That was nearly 20 years ago, and Chris’s business interests have expanded with an additional branch in Burleigh Heads and the acquisition of a steady supply of new and nearly new tyres to keep both branches well-stocked and ready for the cars that come rolling in. 

The environment in which a tyre business must operate is very competitive with large franchises constantly seeking to take over the market, but Chris and his family are holding their own. “Branigans remains competitive in its pricing, and being a local business rather than one of a big chain gives it character, appeal, and close control over the service offered,” says Chris.

As for the future, he’s confident that Branigans has a long life ahead of it – and it will still be a family business. His son, Shane, is playing an active role in running the business, and there’s even a grand-daughter showing interest in the concern. “It has the potential to last for several generations,” says Chris. “It will be up to the family to decide whether Branigans will give them the careers and personal growth they want.”

For further information, visit or call Chris and his team at Second Hand Tyres Gold Coast |Branigans Budget Tyres by contacting the Service Centres in Burleigh Heads (07) 5535 2660 or Southport (07) 5591 8633.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

“The older website was reasonable, but dated” says Chris, “and it didn’t have the visual appeal that’s needed to get people engaging with the content, no matter how good that might be. For a family business that relies on technical know-how and customer service, it also didn’t fully reflect the personality that has made Branigans such an important part of the Burleigh Heads and Southport motoring community.”

A Fresh Online Presence

No matter how old and established a business is, it’s important to keep pace with the times, and in these times, websites are often more important than storefronts in helping consumers to form an opinion of a business. Of course, this meant that skilled as he may be in all things car-related (Chris is a qualified auto engineer), professional web designers would be put to work. 

Fortunately for Chris, his business’s ardent supporters included the managing director of YDMA, a digital marketing company based in his area, so making the choice was easy. “The agency already knew and loved Branigans. They were impressed by the service they had received, and the excellent deals they were offered, and they were eager to help with the upliftment of the brand,” he says. “And since it’s their business to know what works in digital marketing just as Branigans knows what works with cars, choosing designers was an easy call. The results speak for themselves.”

More Reasons to Visit Both Website and Store

With the help of a little clever automation, the Branigans website now offers clients an opportunity to make appointments. Or, they can sign up for a cost-saving subscription that offers four tyres, wheel alignment, and wheel balancing annually. “Saving its customers time and money is important to Branigans,” says Chris, and the new website will help them to achieve both these goals.

There’s also a wide range of tips and information on tap. Find out about the reasons for road noise; know how to evaluate a tyres’ tread; discover fuel-saving tips; or recognise the symptoms of unbalanced or misaligned wheels. Knowledge is power, and Branigans new website puts the power in motorists’ hands. 

“All in all, Branigans is giving people even more reasons to visit its website and its workshops,” says Chris. “And since well-maintained wheels and tyres are so important to road safety, it’s offering a valuable source of free information that goes beyond the favourable pricing, guaranteed tyres, and fast service its workshops offer.”

Visit and See for Yourself

Jumping in the car and driving to the nearest Branigans outlet to get new tyres would certainly give one an inside view of the business, but most people start with an online search. Chris is happy that his brand-new website will give its visitors an overview of the business, helpful information, and a clear picture of how Branigans saves motorists money, both in terms of the cost of tyre replacements, and in the many benefits that flow from having good tyres, and well balanced and aligned wheels. 

“It’s more than just a good-looking, highly functional website,” says Chris. “It’s pure Branigans, and it demonstrates the advantages of choosing Branigans in far greater detail than you’d get from a casual visit. There will be regular updates, news, and automotive information: worth staying tuned, rather than just using it as a way to find out where Branigans is, or for contact details to get a quote. Visit it and see for yourself. Comments, compliments, and critique are all equally welcome.”

For further information, visit or call Chris and his team at Second Hand Tyres Gold Coast |Branigans Budget Tyres by contacting the Service Centres in Burleigh Heads (07) 5535 2660 or Southport (07) 5591 8633.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

“The price point is one of Branigans big advantages,” says Mr Lett. “Locals know that they can get money-saving deals from Branigans Tyres. But even without that advantage, I think the fact that Branigans is a family-owned local business has influence.” 

Mr Lett shares his reasons for agreeing that consumers prefer small, family businesses over national chains based on his personal experience. 

People Like to do Business with People

The level of personal engagement is one of the big reasons why Mr Lett feels that being a family-owned local business is a decided advantage.

“If people were to choose between doing business with a brand and doing business with folks they can expect to see right there on the workshop floor, it would be unsurprising if they chose the latter option,” says Mr Lett. “Brands are very impersonal. Maybe there’s a local franchisee, and of course, he or she employs people, but you still don’t get the feeling that there is a really personal relationship.”

People Trust Family-Owned Businesses

When running a family-owned business, business owners have a strong sense of loyalty to both the family they work with and the community they serve. They know that the way they do business reflects on their family’s name, reputation, and position in the community. In Chris’s opinion, that means they work harder to give customers top-quality service and he feels that the public is aware of this factor. 

“When you’re a franchisee, the franchise owners might receive a complaint and seek to address it with you – if they think it’s important enough. But it gets much more intense if Mum or Dad Lett is asking you why you let the family down,” he jokes. “It gives customers confidence. They know that they’ll be going straight to the top if they have any issues, not talking to somebody’s secretary who is secretly wishing they’d just go away.”

Family Businesses Try Harder 

In closing, Mr Lett asserts that as a family business, Branigans Tyres tries harder. “When you’re a smaller business, you know you’re up against the big guys. You have to offer something they can’t or won’t offer. You need a competitive edge that’s going to make choosing your business an obvious advantage for customers. And you need to keep it up – especially if you’re hoping that your business will be passed on to the next generation.”

Aside from Branigans Tyres, Mr Lett says that he also likes supporting local businesses most. “It’s about being part of a community. You don’t get that feeling with the big chains and corporations.”

For further information, visit or call Chris and his team at Second Hand Tyres Gold Coast |Branigans Budget Tyres by contacting the Service Centres in Burleigh Heads (07) 5535 2660 or Southport (07) 5591 8633.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.