Download or read book Automotive Part Retailers of the United States written by Source Wikipedia and published by University-Press.org. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 18. Chapters: Advance Auto Parts, Allen Tire Company, Arnold Motor Supply, AutoZone, Carquest, Chief Auto Parts, CSK Auto, Discount Tire, JC Whitney, Jegs High Performance, KOI Auto Parts, Les Schwab Tire Centers, MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, McQuay-Norris, National Automotive Parts Association, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Original Parts Group, Pep Boys, Summit Racing Equipment, Trick Flow Specialties, VIP Parts, Tires and Service, Western Auto. Excerpt: Western Auto Supply Company-known more widely as Western Auto-was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. It operated approximately 1200 stores across the United States. It was started in 1909 in Kansas City, Missouri, by George Pepperdine, who later founded Pepperdine University. Western Auto was bought by Beneficial Corporation in 1961; Western Auto's management led a leveraged buyout in 1985, leading three years later to a sale to Sears. Sears sold most of the company to Advance Auto Parts in 1998, and by 2003, the resulting merger had led to the end of the Western Auto brand and its product distribution network. Western Auto originally started as a mail order business for replacement auto parts. The first retail store was established in 1921, and grew quickly as automobiles became more and more common. At one point, there were over 1,200 company-owned stores nationwide, usually located in metropolitan areas, and more than 4,000 associate stores (private franchise "dealer" locations), usually located in small cities and towns. The associate store program was the first of its type, pioneering the way for other future modern day franchise operations. The company had five regional distribution centers in the United States, with the one located in North Carolina serving its stores in Puerto Rico. Western Auto was known for its "Western...