Franchisee Tyrone Carusi has been flying the flag in WA for five years and leading the solo JAX Tyres & Auto store.

Tyrone couldn’t have made a bigger leap, relocating from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs to Kwinana in Perth.

“I had the Bondi Junction store for three years on a short lease. There was a demolition clause on the building,” he reveals. “We knew we had to move.”

Tyrone had considered other New South Wales regional and coastal options before visiting the western state in May 2019.

“We spent a week here to get an idea of Perth and the property rental market ahead of any decision. We made the jump in September 2019 and haven’t looked back.” he says.

With Tyrone’s experience from Bondi, he followed the JAX business model and has turned the store into the flourishing site it is today.

WA, a new frontier

When asked how the market differs on the western seaboard, Tyrone confirmed; “Kwinana is very different from Bondi Junction. There we were working on Porsches, Aston Martins and Ferraris every day. Here the standard car brands are Holden and Fords. We went from targeting high performance European cars to focusing on 4-wheel drives.

“We have a diverse range of customers spanning all generations, from long trip caravan drivers, to weekend warriors driving on the beaches and a lot of FIFO workers too,” he points out.

“We’re doing the same thing in a different part of the country. But it was appealing to move from Sydney, where I was spending 2.5 hours a day in the car, to Perth. We live on a four-acre block a half-hour drive from the city.”

The tree change suits Tyrone’s two young children who love the space and the wildlife.

Despite the enormity of the initial move, driving across the Nullabor for three days with a trailer and no reception, Tyrone and his family have settled into Perth and the business has built up from a team of three in 2019 to eleven full-time staff today.

Providing great customer service

The business has secured some big trade accounts and developed a strong reputation for its great service.

“No-one plans to break down or get a flat tyre! When our customers find themselves in a tough situation, we encourage them to give us a call or drop in on the day. We’ve got a great team here and we’re always willing to lend a hand and get our customers back on the road with peace of mind. The swift turnaround times work in Tyrone’s favour, with 80 per cent of the business repeat customers, he says.

Visitors from the east coast know the brand well, so tend to seek us out, he says.

“We get a few customers travelling from remote places, and a few who have relocated, and they’ll make the drive to us. They know they can trust the JAX brand and receive exceptional customer service

JAX CEO Steve Grossrieder, praises Tyrone for the store’s excellent customer service, which is reflected in its impressive 4.7-star rating from over 500 Google reviews.

It’s a stellar example of a JAX store which is driving demand.

JAX’s expansion in WA

“We carefully expand into new areas based on customer feedback and demand,” Steve says. “Given the success of our Kwinana store and our network across Australia, we are experiencing significant demand from consumers in WA.”

Perth’s population of 2.3 million, and growing, makes it an appealing market for the brand.

“We’re expanding carefully across WA, with plans to open a select number of stores in high-demand locations over the next two years,” Steve reveals. “Our new store in Forrestdale marks the beginning of these strategic openings.”

The Forrestdale development sits in a new commercial and residential estate. It’s a family-friendly location in Perth’s southern suburbs within the City of Armadale, close to fast food and big-box retailers.

“Forrestdale offers an excellent opportunity to support busy families with reliable, transparent, and market-leading vehicle servicing and tyres, allowing residents to enjoy their community with peace of mind,” Steve says.

“JAX has already established a great foundation in the eastern seaboard and, the western seaboard is the next step,” he says.

“We expect to grow the JAX brand steadily with a focus on WA, SA and other unoccupied territories in the main states.”