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Otago Daily Times

The rubber meets the road, again

Bridgestone Queenstown's back under the ownership of Paul Robertson, pictured third from left, with, from left, Mike Watson, Georgia Young, Kyle Barringer, Lee Jenaway, Cam Morris and Nick Sloley. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Queenstowner Paul Robertson's come full circle. The fifth-generation local — his great-great grandfather was James Robertson, Queenstown's first mayor; his brother was the Earnslaw's first skipper — last Friday bought back Bridgestone Tyre Centre, which had sites at Industrial Pl, in Queenstown, and Jock Boyd Pl, at Frankton. He set up the latter during his first spin as the owner, about 15 years ago, but on Monday he amalgamated both stores at the Frankton site, with nine local staff. That decision's been led by the growth at Frankton, he says. Robertson's spent most of his life in the tyre industry, starting out with Mike Hansen when he was 15, and then working for Bridgestone, under Andrew Earl, a year later. He went on to manage the Beaurepaires store, at just 18, became the national sales manager for Goodyear Dunlop and then national sales manager for YHI International, for commercial tyres. But when his dad got sick, Robertson, who had been based out of Christchurch and Wellington, decided to move back, so bought Bridgestone about 2010 to be close to him. He stayed on as the owner till just before Covid. ''I wanted a change, and to do a building apprenticeship, [and] Bridgestone New Zealand wanted to buy it. "But I've always wanted it back ... I'm really excited to sink my teeth back into it again," he says.