Pirelli opens P Zero World in Santa Monica

The sparkling wine was flowing this week as Pirelli opened P Zero World on Santa Monica Boulevard near the salubrious LA suburb of Beverly Hills.

Celebrities and 'influencers' turned up to party at the new retail venue, named for the tyre brand's highly regarded performance tyre, the P Zero. A temple for all things prestigious and expensive – including Pirelli-branded tyres of course – P Zero World promises to be the Harrods of tyre retail showrooms.

Pirelli aims to offer "exclusive service, technologically advanced consultancy and customer assistance" in "an elegant and comfortable environment inspired by the world of motorsport..."

"P Zero World perfectly expresses our deep appreciation and nuanced understanding of car culture and we're excited to serve our customers here in a truly dedicated fashion through offering Pirelli's rich range of prestige and premium applications, our 'marked tyres' on a great variety of models," said Pierluigi Dinelli, CEO and Chairman of Pirelli Tire North America.

"These tailor-made designs for each vehicle are achieved through close cooperation with the most important car makers in the world. This new venture is part of an aggressive growth plan for Pirelli in North America and beyond.

"P Zero World also speaks to a key part of Pirelli's unique approach to the market – the strong expression of our corporate identity, which is tied deeply to both the innovative and the experiential. This new initiative brings the concept full circle with retail at the very heart of the brand."

Pirelli's decision to open the 743m² premises was founded in part on the growing market for prestige vehicles – projected to grow by 11 per cent in the USA by the end of this year. The P Zero tyre is seen to be practically indispensable by a large part of the prestige market, with Pirelli holding 50 per cent market share of original equipment tyres for "high and very high-end cars".

And a Los Angeles base for the new tyre marketing and sales concept seems ideal in a city boasting the "highest concentration of luxury and sports cars in the world".

Pirelli describes P Zero World as a "state of the art retail design", with an espresso bar and luxurious waiting area, plus a merchandise store 'showcasing' the tyre brand's motor sport history, as well as its alliances with well known car companies, the Pirelli Calendar and vintage advertising.

And customers will receive expert advice on the best tyre for their cars, which can have new tyres fitted in one of the three service bays.

P Zero World is the flagship store, but there will be others to follow, Pirelli says.