An automotive part retailer is a

retail business Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

that sells

automotive parts This is a list of auto parts, mostly for vehicles using internal combustion engines which are manufactured components of automobiles: Car body and main parts Body components, including trim Doors Windows Low voltage/auxiliary ele ...

and related accessories to both consumers and professional repair shops, through physical stores and websites. Some automotive parts retailers also offer customer support and services related to automotive maintenance and repair. The sector is often dependent on consumers'

disposable income Disposable income is total personal income minus current income taxes. In national accounts definitions, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income. Subtracting personal outlays (which includes the major c ...

, and therefore affected by business cycles and economic conditions.

History

The automotive parts industry in the United States began with the proliferation of automobiles as a common method of transportation. As the industry grew, small businesses came to be replaced by chains and retail networks.

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

was the first company in the industry to begin franchising in 1893. In 1909,

Western Auto 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 ...

became the first retailer of

aftermarket automotive parts The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, Distribution (business), distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, equipment, and ac ...

in the United States. In 1928,

Genuine Parts Company Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is an American service organization engaged in the distribution of automotive replacement parts, industrial replacement parts, office products and electrical/electronic materials. GPC serves numerous customers from mor ...

as a distributor of automotive replacement parts, industrial parts and consumer supplies. Its largest component is

NAPA Auto Parts The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA), also known as NAPA Auto Parts, founded in 1925, is an American retailers' cooperative distributing automotive replacement parts, accessories and service items throughout North America. Operat ...

. By the 1970s, large companies like

Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (Advance) is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves both professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. As of July 13, 2019, Advance operated ...

AutoZone AutoZone, Inc. is an American retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, the largest in the United States. Founded in 1979, AutoZone has over 6,400 stores across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the US Virgin Is ...

and

O'Reilly Auto Parts O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is an American auto parts retailer that provides automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories to professional service providers and do-it-yourself customers. Founded in 1957 by the O’Reil ...

dominated the market. Most of these also offered private label automotive products, which accounted over 50% of revenue in some cases. Demand for automotive parts correlates with the average age of vehicles on the road, and the price of fuel. When newer cars are more expensive or there are supply chain issues, consumers are more likely to keep and repair their existing cars, or purchase older used cars that require more regular repairs. The average age of vehicles in the United States increased from the 6.5 years in 1980, to 8.5 years in 2000.

2020 to present

Demand for auto parts can be affected by how much consumers travel for work, education and travel. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, sales dropped rapidly, as did the stock price growth of many major US retailers during 2020. The subsequent increase in road travel had the opposite effect; unlike home improvement, furniture or grocery retailers, automotive parts retailers directly benefited from incremental increases in the number of consumers commuting to work or school. Major American retailers recorded high revenue, sales figures or operating margins in 2021 as a result of this trend, despite experiencing high inflation and supply chain pressures. The average age of a vehicle in the US reached a record high of 12.1 years in 2021. The price of gas rose sharply in 2022, causing volatility for the sector.

By market

United States

Automotive part retailing is a $300 billion industry in the United States.

CarMax CarMax, Inc. is a used vehicle retailer based in the United States. It operates two business segments: CarMax Sales Operations and CarMax Auto Finance. The corporate entity behind the formation of CarMax was Circuit City Stores, Inc. The first ...

and

are major players in the industry. Other retailers include: * Allen Tire Company *

American Tire Distributors American Tire Distributors (ATD) is an American distributor and retailer of automotive parts and supplies, including tires and wheels. The company has locations across the United States and Canada. History J.H. Heafner Co. was founded in Linco ...

AmericanMuscle AmericanMuscle is an American online retailer of automotive parts and accessories for Ford Mustang and Ford F-150 (F-Series truck) model automobiles. Founded by Steve Voudouris, it is one of the flagship brands and websites of Turn5 Inc., a holdi ...

Amsoil AMSOIL Inc. is an American corporation based in Superior, Wisconsin that primarily formulates and packages synthetic lubricants, fuel additives, and filters. Company founder Albert J. Amatuzio developed several synthetic motor oil formulations t ...

Auto Parts Warehouse Auto Parts Warehouse (APW) is an American online retailer of automotive parts and accessories for cars, vans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Along with CarParts.com and JC Whitney, it was one of the flagship websites of CarParts.com, an Am ...

Belle Tire Belle Tire is an American tire, wheel and automotive service retailer headquartered in Allen Park, Michigan. It was founded in 1922, after its first location was opened in Detroit, Michigan, by Sam Waze. It currently operates 130+ locations in Mic ...

Big O Tires Big O Tires, LLC. is one of North America's largest retail tire franchisors, with more than 450 independently owned and operated locations extending through 23 states primarily in the Western and Midwestern United States. It is headquartered in P ...

* CarParts.com *

Carquest 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 of October 4, 2014 Advance operated 5,305 stores, 109 ...

Chief Auto Parts Chief Auto Parts was a United States-based auto parts store chain that had stores located in the states of Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas and California. Chief was founded in 1955 in Norwalk, California by Vern Johnson and Lorin Tuth ...

Commercial Tire Commercial Tire is a chain of tire stores located in the United States, providing tires and related services to owners of passenger, commercial, and agricultural vehicles. History The original store was founded in 1968 by J.R. "Bob" Schwenkf ...

CSK Auto CSK Auto, Inc. was a specialty retailer of automotive parts and accessories in the western United States. CSK Auto became a publicly traded company in March 1998, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew through a combination of acquisitions ...

Discount Tire Discount Tire Company is an independent tire and wheel retailer. Discount Tire operates in most of the lower 48 states in the United States, and is the largest independent tire and wheel retailer in the world. The company is headquartered in S ...

G.I. Joe's G.I. Joe's was a privately owned retail chain for sporting goods, ready-to-wear clothing, and auto parts; that operated stores in the Pacific Northwest region of the northwestern United States.Grand Auto Supply * Grigsby-Grunow *

JC Whitney JC Whitney is a retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. as well as an automotive content platform viJCWhitney.comand thJC Whitney print magazineIt was acquired by CarParts.com (formerly U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.), a pu ...

Jegs High Performance JEGS High Performance is the second largest mail order company of automotive equipment in the United States. It sells performance auto parts, aftermarket accessories, tools, and race apparel. JEGS was founded by Jeg Coughlin Sr. in 1960 as a small ...

KOI Auto Parts KOI Auto Parts is an American chain of auto parts stores founded in 1946 in Newport, Kentucky. Today KOI Auto Parts operates 60 stores located throughout the US states Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The corporate office of KOI Auto Parts is locate ...

Les Schwab Tire Centers Les Schwab Tire Centers is a tire retail chain operating in the western United States. Founded in 1952, the company is named for founder Les Schwab and is headquartered in the Central Oregon city of Bend. The private company employs over 7,000 ...

LKQ Corporation LKQ Corporation (''Like Kind and Quality'') is an American provider of alternative and speciality parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. LKQ has operations in North America, Europe and Taiwan. LKQ sells replacement system ...

* McQuay-Norris *

Oscaro Oscaro is a French e-commerce company founded in 2003. The company specialises in the sale of new and genuine automotive parts from manufacturers and wholesalers. The company is headquartered in Paris and Gennevilliers and operates in France, Sp ...

Pep Boys Pep Boys is an American automotive aftermarket service chain. Originally named Pep Auto Supply, the company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921 by Emanuel (Manny) Rosenfeld, Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss, Jack J ...

* Pfadt Race Engineering * Quirk Tires and Service * RevZilla.com * Rovers North *

Summit Racing Equipment Summit Racing Equipment is an automotive parts retailer with four retail stores and distribution centers located in Tallmadge, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; McDonough, Georgia; and Arlington, Texas. Summit Racing Equipment is also involved in motorsports ...

Super Shops Super Shops Automotive Performance Centers was an American chain of 165 Automotive aftermarket, aftermarket auto parts stores which operated from 1963 to 1998. The chain was founded as a single store on July 1, 1963, by Harry Eberlin, a United Sta ...

* Tire Discounters *

Tire Kingdom Tire Kingdom is a large American tire store chain located primarily in the southern part of the United States. In 2000, it became a subsidiary of TBC Corporation. Background Tire Kingdom was founded by Chuck Curcio in Florida in 1972, starting w ...

Tire Rack Tire Rack was a privately owned customer-direct tire, wheels, car accessories distributor company headquartered in South Bend, Indiana until it was acquired by Discount Tire in 2021 and continued to operate Tire Rack as a separate business and bra ...

Trak Auto Trak Auto Corporation was an American retail chain specializing in automotive parts and accessories based in Landover, Maryland. Founded by Robert Haft in 1979, at its peak in 1993 it operated 333 stores around the United States under the Trak A ...

Valvoline Instant Oil Change Valvoline Instant Oil Change is a company that provides preventive maintenance services for many different types of automobiles. These services include oil changes, antifreeze changes, differential fluid changes, batteries, belts, fuel system clea ...

* VIP Tires and Service *

Winston Tire Company The Winston Tire Company was an American tire manufacturer and automotive service chain based in Burbank, California., and was founded by Sam Winston and Ray Oliver. The company was in business from 1962 to 2002 when it was acquired by the Goodye ...

Canada

Canada's automotive part retailers include

Fountain Tire Fountain Tire Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian tire dealer and automotive service provider with 160 consumer locations in Central and Western Canada. The company also provides tires and tire-related services to commercial truck fleets and off-road ve ...

, Integra Tire & Auto Centres,

PartSource PartSource Inc. is a Canadian automotive parts retail chain owned by Canadian Tire. It sells name brand automotive parts, specializing in commercial sales and sales to customers who work on their own vehicles. Founded in 1996, the retailer has 80 ...

and Tirecraft.

United Kingdom

Halfords Halfords Group PLC is the UK's largest retailer of motoring and cycling products and services. Through Halfords Autocentre, they provide vehicle servicing, MOT, maintenance and repairs in the United Kingdom. Halfords Group is listed on the Lond ...

is a major retailer in the United Kingdom, and owns

National Tyres and Autocare National Tyres and Autocare is a tyre and automotive parts retailer based in Stockport in Greater Manchester, England and owned by Halfords. They are commonly referred to as just 'National Tyres' although the limited company is still Nation ...

and Ripspeed.

Demon Tweeks Alan Minshaw (born 17 May 1935) is a British former racing driver. In 1983 he won Class C and finished second overall in the British Saloon Car Championship in a Volkswagen Golf GTi Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a ...

also operates in the UK market.

Europe

Several retailers operate in multiple European countries, including Euro Car Parts,

Motrio Motrio is a brand of spare automotive parts launched by Renault in 1998, covering both Renault/Dacia vehicles and other brands. Motrio also introduced a multibrand network of repairers in 2003. Development Motrio was created in 1998. The brand st ...

, Nipparts and

. The Asian retailer

Autobacs Seven () is a retailer of automotive parts and accessories based in Japan, with branches primarily in Asia and stores also located in France. Etymology Autobacs was given a backronym as follows, which reflects the products the company provided prior ...

also has stores in France.

Australia and New Zealand

Repco Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retailer company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and was for many years known for reconditioning engines and for specialized manufacturing, for which they gained a high ...

and

Supercheap Auto Supercheap Auto is an Australian automotive parts and accessories retailer. It was founded in 1972, operating as a mail-order business and opened its first store in Brisbane in 1974. It now has 300 stores across Australia and New Zealand. H ...

are major rivals in the Australian and New Zealand markets, targeting both consumers and trade customers.

Autobarn Metcash Trading () is an Australian conglomerate company headquartered in Wooloomooloo, NSW. Metcash is a distributing and marketing support in supermarket groceries, perishables, fresh produce, alcoholic beverages, hardware, and other consumer ...

is a smaller competitor, but outranked the major rivals for consumer satisfaction in Australia in 2018.

Ultra Tune Ultra Tune is an Australian automotive servicing and roadside assist franchise with 275+ centres, the second largest independent automotive servicing and repairer in Australia, as of 2019. History Ultra Tune commenced trading in 1979 with a ...

also has stores around Australia.

Asia

operates in Asia, and also has stores in France.