Carquest Corporation is an American automotive parts distribution network that is currently owned and operated by Advance Auto Parts via independent retailers associated with the network as "Carquest Auto Parts". As of October 4, 2014 Advance operated 5,305 stores, 109 Worldpac branches. Advance Auto Parts and Carquest Auto Parts employs approximately 75,000 employees. The partnership between Advance Auto Parts and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended when Advance closed all of its California stores. Explanation Advance Auto Parts closed all of its California stores as part of a restructuring plan to improve profitability and focus on its best-performing stores. The company's restructuring plan also includes consolidating distribution centers and opening new stores in higher-performing regions. The partnership between Advance Auto Parts and the Los Angeles Dodgers included in-stadium signage, store displays, and community activities. The partnership ended when Advance closed all of its California stores. Advance Auto Parts has been struggling with declining sales due to fewer drivers repairing their cars. The company has also been cutting costs in store operations, merchandise excellence, and supply chain.

Company History

The Carquest marketing alliance and distribution network was formed in 1974 by O. Temple Sloan of General Parts, Dan Bock of Bobro Products, and Joe Hughes of Indiana Parts Warehouse. In response to competition from high-volume retail stores, Sloan believed "that programmed distribution through a cooperative alliance would be the most effective means to remain competitive." According to a 1994 ''

Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig an ...

'' article, the company was "made up of 14 distributing companies operating 64 Carquest Auto Parts Stores throughout the United States" at that time. General Parts was the largest member with General Parts owning 1,400 out of Carquest’s 3,400 auto parts stores across North America by 2011. O. Temple Sloan Jr. started General Parts in 1961. Founding member Bobro was later sold to White Plains Automotive in 1984 and renamed B.W.P. Distributors. BWP was later acquired by Advance Auto in 2012. Dan Bock later served as president of Carquest. Founding member Indiana Parts Warehouse was acquired by the third founder General Parts in 1991. Indiana Parts had served 90 locations. Carquest acquired Worldpac in 2004, but kept its operations separate. General Parts received $258 million in 2011 for selling 33 of the company’s distribution centers and office buildings in a long-term sale-leaseback deal. In June 2012, Carquest Auto Parts relaunched its Carquest.com website, offering buy online, pick up in store commerce. In December 2012, Advance Auto Parts acquired warehouse distributor B.W.P. Distributors, which supplied the Northeastern United States. On October 16, 2013 it was announced that Carquest would be acquired by Advance Auto Parts, Inc in an all-cash transaction estimated at approximately $2 billion dollars. The deal was finalized on January 3, 2014. Carquest members now include Advance Auto Parts, Automotive Warehouse of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, CAP Warehouse of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, and Muffler Warehouse of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. In 2021, Advance Auto Parts announced plans to open retail stores under the Carquest name.

WorldPac

WorldPac was formed in 1995 by the merger of WorldWide Trading Corp. (WWTC) and Imported Parts and Accessories (IMPAC). WORLDPAC, which specializes in providing hard to find aftermarket parts for imported vehicles, was acquired by Carquest in 2004 and by Advance Auto Parts on January 2, 2014 when General Parts International was merged into Advance. Advance Auto Parts announced in November 2023 it would seek the sale of its WorldPac and Carquest Canada divisions.

Sponsorships

Carquest was the title right sponsor of the Carquest Auto Parts

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in

Maricopa County, Arizona Maricopa County () is a County (United States), county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the List ...

until 2016.. The event took place annually in February and aired on

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...

. Carquest was the official auto parts supplier of Hendrick Motorsports until the end of the 2011 season.

Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...

and Carquest announced on May 26, 2006 a unique three-year agreement with

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All-Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 316 Cup Series ra ...

that made the two companies co-primary sponsors of the No. 5 Chevrolets driven by Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. On September 9, 2007, the two companies announced

Casey Mears Casey James Mears (born March 12, 1978) is an American professional off-road racing, off-road and stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang, Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Garage 66. He ...

will drive the No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the 2008

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

Sprint Cup Series. In 2008, Hendrick Motorsports announced that

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959), nicknamed "the Kid", is an American former stock car racing driver. He most notably drove the No. 6 Ford Motor Company, Ford for Roush Racing for the majority of his career. From 1989 to 2009, Martin wo ...

, a seasoned veteran would be driving the car in 2009. Carquest continued to sponsor Mark Martin in 2010 and 2011. Carquest Auto Parts has primary sponsor placement in eight points races on the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Carquest Auto Parts joined

in 2002 as an associate sponsor of Chevrolets driven by Ricky Hendrick in the NASCAR Busch Series. The relationship carried over to the following season, resulting in a

Busch Series championship with driver Brian Vickers, and has since transitioned into the

Sprint Cup Series. The company sponsored the Carquest Bowl from 1994 to 1997. The company sponsored three-time IHRA Drag Racing Top Fuel Champion Paul Romine from 1997–2004 and from 2001-2004 was associated with the No. 2 Team ASE

Craftsman Truck driven by Scott Riggs and Jason Leffler. It also sponsored NHRA drag races from 2003 - 2007. Most recently the company sponsored the #92 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford driven by

David Gilliland David Leonard Gilliland (born April 1, 1976) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and team owner. Since 2017, he has operated Tricon Garage, a team that races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team has also com ...

as part of a one race deal in which Carquest adorned the hood and Black's Tire adorned the side. In 2022, Advance Auto Parts entered an exclusive partnership with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, which made Carquest an official auto parts retailer for the team.

References

{{reflist

External links

Advance Auto Parts Investor Relations

Carquest Auto Parts (E-Commerce)

Carquest Canada

Worldpac official website

Tech-Net Professional Auto Service official website

Carquest Batteries official website

Carquest Technical Institute official website
Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina Automotive part retailers of the United States 1974 establishments in North Carolina American companies established in 1974 Retail companies established in 1974 2014 mergers and acquisitions