Advance Auto Parts

The first major expansion of Advance Auto Parts was in 1998 when the company acquired the remaining operations of Western Auto, an auto parts and general store retailer. Most of the Western Auto operations had been taken over by Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1987.[11] Then, in April 2001, Advance Auto Parts acquired Carport Auto Parts, a regional retail chain with 29 stores in Alabama and Mississippi.[12] On November 28, Advance acquired Discount Auto Parts, Inc., a regional auto parts chain with 671 stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana.[13][14] Upon completion of this merger, Advance Auto Parts became a publicly traded company, listed as a common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AAP. The year ended with 2,484 stores in 38 states.

Interior of an Advance Auto Parts store in Fairfax County, Virginia

In July 2002, Advance Auto Parts received bankruptcy court approval to acquire 57 Trak Auto stores in northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and eastern Maryland.[15][16] In December 2012, Advance Auto Parts acquired BWP Distributors—a Carquest franchise for the New England region—that included the transfer of 124 company owned retail locations plus 2 distribution centers.[17] The responsibility for 92 independently owned location that were service by BWP were transferred to General Parts, Inc., the largest Carquest franchise along with one distribution center for servicing those locations.

Advance Auto Parts entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Parts International, Inc. (GPI), a privately held distributor and supplier of equipment and aftermarket replacement products for commercial markets operating under the Carquest and WorldPac brands on October 16, 2013.[18][19] The deal created the largest automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America.[20] GPI, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, has seen a significant rise in personnel since being acquired by Advance.[21]

On September 30, 2015, Starboard Value LP, an activist investment firm disclosed they had taken a 3.7 percent stake in Advance Auto Parts.[22] On January 2, 2016, Darren Jackson resigned his position as CEO.[23] On April 4, 2016, Advance announced Frito-Lay North America CEO Tom Greco would succeed Jackson as CEO.

Advance stock declined throughout 2016 and 2017, but in 2018 Advance was the #4 top performing stock of the S&P 500[24] outperforming the aftermarket automotive parts industry by more than 30 percent.[25]

Advance and Walmart announced a partnership in October of that year that created an automotive specialty store on Walmart.com.[26] In November 2018, Advance Auto Parts announced the relocation of its headquarters from Roanoke, Virginia to Raleigh, North Carolina. The state of North Carolina and Advance Auto Parts agreed on a $12 million incentive package, including tax breaks, for this relocation.[27]

On December 23, 2019, Advance Auto Parts announced its purchase of the DieHard battery brand from Sears in a $200 million, all-cash deal.[28] To promote the acquisition and availability of the brand at Advance and Carquest, the company hired Die Hard actor Bruce Willis to be part of a promotional film that was released during the 2020 holiday season.[29]

Advance Auto Parts purchased Baxter Auto Parts, a chain with 29 stores located in Oregon, Washington, and California in June 2021. The stores joined the Carquest brand that serves as Advance Auto Parts' brand in the Pacific states.[30]

Advance Auto Parts has partnered in the past with racing teams as well, such as Alex Bowman, Tommy Baldwin Racing, and JR Motorsports.[34][35]

Advance became the primary sponsor of NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car driver in the history, in December 2016. The agreement ran through the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons.[36] Force's sister, Brittany Force, driving her dragster was sponsored by Advance for the 2019 NHRA season.[37] Other past sponsorships include Team Penske (with driver Ryan Blaney) in NASCAR; and Josh Hart who represents Advance's TechNet Professional brand in the Top Fuel class of NHRA.