OUR STORY

Advance has a long and proud history of serving our customers, communities and Team Members better than anyone else, which is the reason we’ve remained in business for over 85 years. Advance was founded in 1932 when Arthur Taubman purchased a small chain of home and auto supply stores in Roanoke, VA. At that time, we were known as Advance Stores and sold a wide variety of merchandise, including appliances, televisions and toys. In the 1970s and 1980s, businesses were changing and stores were moving from downtown centers of commerce to malls and other developments. Specialty retailers were becoming increasingly popular. Arthur’s son, Nick Taubman, saw these changes and adapted the business based on what Advance’s customers were asking for. Under Nick’s leadership, Advance focused on what would become our core business: automotive parts and related accessories.

The following years provided big growth for Advance Auto Parts. Not only was the company growing, but Advance also underwent acquisitions with Western Auto Supply Company/Parts America and Discount Auto Parts. In 2001, Advance became a publicly traded company, listed as common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol AAP. Later, Advance acquired a family of brands, including Autopart International, Carquest Auto Parts, and WORLDPAC, which would position us to be a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider.

Advance operates over 5,100 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. We operate 127 WORLDPAC branches and serve approximately 1,250 independent Carquest locations. We have 50 Distribution Centers throughout the US and Canada that provide service to all of our store locations. The company has Customer Support Centers in Roanoke, VA and Raleigh, NC. We currently employ over 70,000 Team Members across an array of roles. From front-line sales in our stores and our professional business, to the fast-paced environment of our distribution centers, to supporting our team and customers through the day-to-day business at our Corporate Headquarters, we are a team of individuals with varying interests who come together for one main purpose—to execute our Mission: Passion for Customers … Passion for Yes!