I live in Puerto Rico and all the PepBoys store have everything on 50% off, and I mean every tool, oils, accessorizes, parts… excepts tires and mechanical services. In the news they said that AutoZone bought PepBoys, but newspaper said thats a lie. Do you guys know something about it? Is this situation going on in the States too?
Carl Icahn owns Pep Boys and is reducing its footprint. That is corporate speak for “closing stores”. That 50% off pricing is thr going out of business sale prices.
Pep Boys, the leading US automotive service provider announces its plans to lease its retail locations in Puerto Rico to AutoZone
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That is a scary statement. Much like making Jiffy Lube the official oil change store for extended warranties!
I wouldn’t let either place wash my car windows.
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It is, but in a different way. In many–perhaps all–US states, the retail portion of Pep Boys stores has been converted to Advance Auto. This article mentions that situation in CA, but the same thing took place in NJ at least two years ago.
If it took place on both the West coast and the East coast, it’s likely to have happened in other areas of The US.
Advance Auto Parts is quite overpriced . . . but so were the Pep Boys parts stores, so not much has changed 
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There’s a corner in Salem NH (about 100’ from the Mass state line) that has a Pep-Boys, Advance and Autozone. Pep-Boys stopped selling parts about a year ago - Service only. Personally - I only go to them for things like Wax and carwash and maybe wiper-blades.
One of the Pep Boys here in San Jose was both a parts store and a repair shop. The parts store closed a few years ago, then later became a different national brand parts store; but I’ve never gone back so don’t know if it is AutoZone or Advanced Auto. I think the auto repair shop part retains the name Pep Boys. I think the auto parts business is becoming difficult to make a profit. Too many different parts to deal with now. Those stores probably do better profit-wise by selling widely needed stuff that fits many car, like car batteries, air fresheners you hang from the mirror, lube products, windshield wipers, tools & the like. In the future we’ll all probably need to purchase car-specific parts by mail.
We had another auto parts store called ADAP here in NH and MA. They shut down their parts department and OReily’s moved in. Now I think it’s all OReilly’s auto parts and service center.
Icahn has been a “corporate raider” for decades now. I was hired as a pilot with TWA way back in 1988. Icahn had just bought the company and proceded to strip the co of it’s assets. Slime ball.
If Pep Boys were a strong company, Icahn would not have bought it. He buys struggling companies. Companies that may have disappeared without his purchase and strip. Some jobs get saved so all don’t lose theirs.
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Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) had entered into an agreement to acquire Pep Boys in an all-cash transaction for roughly $835 million and was about to sign on the dotted line and we were told not to talk about it (very hush hush), but we were gearing up to take over the PB shops, the show rooms would most likely been turned into show room waiting areas for customers…
Then Carl Icahn snuck in and paid $1.03 billion. and BSRO said you can have it… And now Pep Boys has/is stopped selling parts and is focused on the repair side of it, basically PB is renting out the parts side to Advance Auto Parts and others…
Firestone was not excited about buying PB, if I remember right it was still going to be run as a PB and slowly convert them over to FS, FS does not always agree with what BS try’s to do, but when BS signs your paycheck, you do what you have to do… lol
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