Also in 2001, AutoZone sold TruckPro to Paratus Capital Management. Steve Odland became AutoZone's third CEO in 2001. AutoZone closed the 1990s by debuting at the Fortune 500 list in 1999. The company began a process of internationalization with their first store abroad, which opened in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. At the commencement of fiscal 1999, AutoZone made another acquisition by purchasing 100 Express stores from The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack. Who had stores under the ADAP Discount Auto Parts and Auto Palace nameplates respectively, both being auto parts chains in the northeastern United States with 112 stores, TruckPro L.P., a chain with 43 stores in 14 states, and the 560-store Chief Auto Parts Inc., a chain with a presence in 5 states. John Adams became the new chairman and CEO. Ĭompany founder Pitt Hyde retired as chairman and CEO in 1997.
#Autozone batteries software#
ALLDATA, a software company based in Elk Grove, California that provides automotive diagnostic and repair information, was acquired. The new commercial program debuted in Germantown, Tennessee. ġ996 was the year when the Internet era arrived at the company, when AutoZone opened its company Web site. Total of stores is now 1,143 in 26 states. Also, the Duralast trademark made its debut with the Duralast and Duralast Gold batteries. In 1995, AutoZone opened its 1,000th store in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1994, AutoZone began using satellites to facilitate communication between stores and the corporate office. The company also became the first auto parts retailer to register customer warranties in a computer database. The 5th DC opens in Lafayette, Louisiana. In 1991, its stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker symbol "AZO." It opened up at $27.50 a share. The Duralast battery line is released consisting of Sub-Zero, Desert and long life. In 1989, the company began using a computerized store management system (SMS). That year also, the company introduced WITT-JR, an electronic catalog used to look up parts and keep warranty information. The first AutoZone store was in Enid, Oklahoma. In 1987, Auto Shack officially changed its name to AutoZone. The 4th Distribution Center in Greenville, South Carolina opens. The Loan-A-Tool program begins allowing customers the ability to borrow specific tools for jobs. The Duralast line of alternators and starters is released.
That year, Darren Reltherford, manager of Auto Shack's Memphis, Tennessee store, received the first Extra Miler award, which has since been given to AutoZoners who show their dedication to customer satisfaction by "going the extra mile" for customer service. īy 1986, expansion had made the company grow into a large store chain across the South and the Midwest. He oversaw the auto parts firm's daily operations and worked on growth strategy. In 1985, Doc Crain coined the term WITTDTJR, which stands for "What it takes to do the job right." Total store count is 263 in 14 states. In 1984, the company became the first auto parts retailer to create a quality control program for its parts. In 1981, Express Parts or VDP is implemented to get the customers hard to find parts by special ordering them through wholesalers. On July 4, 1979, the first store opened in Forrest City, Arkansas under the name of Auto Shack. After the sale of the grocery operation to the Fleming Companies of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the name of the company was changed to AutoZone to reflect the new focus and to settle a lawsuit brought by Tandy Corporation for infringing on Tandy's " Radio Shack" trademark. Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company was known as Auto Shack.
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