– Expanding Middle East footprint with first brand shops in Bahrain and Kuwait
– Enhancing customer engagement with purple-branded signage at over 130 stores worldwide in 2025
SEOUL, South Korea, October 27, 2025 – NEXEN TIRE, a leading global tire manufacturer, announced today the opening of its first brand shops in Bahrain and Kuwait. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s strategic push to expand its retail presence in emerging markets, including the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia.
The Middle East is a core market for NEXEN TIRE, accounting for the company’s third-largest share of overseas sales. Since opening its Dubai branch in 2009, the company has gradually expanded its local business base in the region and enhanced brand exposure and customer accessibility through partnerships with local distributors and service providers. Building on this foundation, NEXEN TIRE has now extended its reach and strengthened its foothold in the Middle East by opening brand shops in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Employing a “shop branding” strategy, NEXEN TIRE is increasing consumer touchpoints overseas by consistently applying the brand identity at local tire stores. By standardizing signage, interior design, and displays in partner-operated stores, it is ensuring a unified brand experience and boosting recognition and loyalty with greater cost efficiency than at company-owned locations.
NEXEN TIRE has enhanced its global brand recognition by introducing purple signage and unified brand elements in stores worldwide through partnerships with local distributors. The company creates immersive brand environments tailored to each market and employs a flexible operational model to adapt to local needs.
In 2025 alone, NEXEN TIRE introduced its brand identity at over 130 stores worldwide, adding to the approximately 400 stores branded globally over the past four years. Notably, the company implemented its brand identity in key European cities such as Frankfurt, Milan, Lyon, and London, while also applying it to 50 local stores across Turkey, including major metropolitan and regional hubs such as Istanbul and Ankara.
Through this project, NEXEN TIRE has been expanding its brand recognition not only in major markets such as Europe but also in high-potential emerging markets. In 2025, the company branded a total of 12 stores across the Middle East and North Africa, 16 in South America such as Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia, and 13 in Southeast Asia including Malaysia and Thailand in partnership with key local distributors.
“Our shop branding project serves as a strategic foundation for enhancing brand value in developed markets while unlocking growth potential in emerging economies,” said John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, CEO of NEXEN TIRE. “Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen localized, customized marketing and build global partnerships, expanding customer touchpoints to further solidify our position in the global market.”
