If Advance Auto Parts served fast food, they would rank in the top 20 based on number of locations. The vehicles parts and accessories supplier operates more than 3,900 stores. Those automotive superstores serve 39 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In all, it requires more than 55,000 employees to keep driving that many shops.
Those numbers are impressive by anyone's standards. Some might even consider those counts staggering. When you put the reach of Advance Auto Parts into perspective, their success becomes downright remarkable. According to EZlocal, a neighborhood search marketing company, combining the 10 biggest fast food chains in the U.S. adds up to more than 90,000 total locations just in the States. Among those top 10:
If Advance Auto Parts qualified as a member of the fast food industry, their store count would place them at 13th on the list. That would place them ahead of Sonic, Arby's, Papa John's, Baskin-Robbins, Jack In the Box, Quizno's, Chick-fil-A, Panera and Chipotle.
Advance work
Advance Auto Parks hasn't always specialized in automotive parts and accessories. The company hasn't always been big on expansion, either. The outfit originally began when Pep Boys (called Pep Auto Supply at the time) opened three variety stores in Virginia back in 1929.
Arthur Taubman purchased the Advance Stores from Pep Boys in 1932 and began the company's incredibly slow evolution. His first store move was more like a form of devolution: he consolidated two stores in Lynchburg that were located only three blocks apart (that says something about the Pep Boys management at the time).
Taubman's Advance Stores took its first multi-state step in 1938 when it opened a store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Advance also marked that year by expanding big-time into toys -- their extensive lineup of dolls, games and more actually gave their department store rivals a run for their money. It's fair to say that Raggedy Ann and Monopoly had little to do with carburetors and spark plugs.
Advance's slow-motion shift away from general merchandise began taking shape as the U.S. became involved in World War II. Countless retailers across the country felt the impact of a changing consumer market in 1941, and the smarter one began to respond. Slowly but surely, Advance reinvented itself one piece of inventory at a time. One thing that never changed: Advance always kept its automotive department.
It took another 30 years, but Taubman's little venture finally made the decision to become a dedicated auto parts chain in 1972. At the same time that they jettisoned all the miscellaneous dry goods, Advance operated 50 stores in four states. The business officially renamed itself Advance Auto Parts in 1985. They celebrated the opening of their 100th location in 1987.
Advance Auto Parts kept right on advancing for the next 20 years. They broke ground for their 300th store in 1993. By 1996, their locations totaled more than 600 and spread across 10 states. Advance launched its 3,000th store in 2006. In 2010 they upped the count to 3,500.
Advance search
In the states, Advance Auto Parts locations essentially blanket the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southeastern and midwestern regions. There are a few states where the chain runs thin. There is only a single Advance Auto Parts store in all of Missouri, for example, and there are currently just two locations that serve the state of Kansas.
It's no real surprise that you won't come across a listing for Advance Auto Parts in the Nome or Juneau Yellow Pages (that's if you can get a hold of a Yellow Pages). You won't hear Advance saying "Aloha" in Honolulu, either. Actually, the retailer has yet to expand farther west than Colorado. For the record, the following states have yet to experience Advance Auto Parts stores:
The rest of the country's in luck. If you're trying to locate the closest Advance Auto Parts shop, you can always reach Advance Auto Parts by phone. Their toll-free number is 877-238-2623 (ADVANCE).
If you prefer surfing to chatting, finding Advance Auto Parts locations is easily accomplished with any web-enabled device. All you have to do is locate the "Find a store" link toward the top of their site, enter your zip code, and click "Find."
A quick test of this web service displays 99 results for a Chicago zip code, starting with one location a mere 0.2 miles away -- that's close enough to leave the car at home! That leaves just 3,801 Advance Auto Parts store to go.
Article Sources
Website
"About Us—General Information." Advance Auto Parts. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from
Website
"About Us—History of Advance Auto Parts." Advance Auto Parts. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from
Website
Cosper, D. (May 13, 2013.) "10 Biggest Fast Food Chains in the U.S. (by Location)." EZlocal. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from http://ezlocal.com/blog/post/10-largest-fast-food-chains-2013.aspx
Those numbers are impressive by anyone's standards. Some might even consider those counts staggering. When you put the reach of Advance Auto Parts into perspective, their success becomes downright remarkable. According to EZlocal, a neighborhood search marketing company, combining the 10 biggest fast food chains in the U.S. adds up to more than 90,000 total locations just in the States. Among those top 10:
- Subway leads the list with 25,903 locations
- A distant number 2, McDonald's total is 14,157
- Starbucks maintains 6,866 shops, good to finish at number 6
- Tenth-place KFC has 4,618 finger-licking good franchises
If Advance Auto Parts qualified as a member of the fast food industry, their store count would place them at 13th on the list. That would place them ahead of Sonic, Arby's, Papa John's, Baskin-Robbins, Jack In the Box, Quizno's, Chick-fil-A, Panera and Chipotle.
Advance work
Advance Auto Parks hasn't always specialized in automotive parts and accessories. The company hasn't always been big on expansion, either. The outfit originally began when Pep Boys (called Pep Auto Supply at the time) opened three variety stores in Virginia back in 1929.
Arthur Taubman purchased the Advance Stores from Pep Boys in 1932 and began the company's incredibly slow evolution. His first store move was more like a form of devolution: he consolidated two stores in Lynchburg that were located only three blocks apart (that says something about the Pep Boys management at the time).
Taubman's Advance Stores took its first multi-state step in 1938 when it opened a store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Advance also marked that year by expanding big-time into toys -- their extensive lineup of dolls, games and more actually gave their department store rivals a run for their money. It's fair to say that Raggedy Ann and Monopoly had little to do with carburetors and spark plugs.
Advance's slow-motion shift away from general merchandise began taking shape as the U.S. became involved in World War II. Countless retailers across the country felt the impact of a changing consumer market in 1941, and the smarter one began to respond. Slowly but surely, Advance reinvented itself one piece of inventory at a time. One thing that never changed: Advance always kept its automotive department.
It took another 30 years, but Taubman's little venture finally made the decision to become a dedicated auto parts chain in 1972. At the same time that they jettisoned all the miscellaneous dry goods, Advance operated 50 stores in four states. The business officially renamed itself Advance Auto Parts in 1985. They celebrated the opening of their 100th location in 1987.
Advance Auto Parts kept right on advancing for the next 20 years. They broke ground for their 300th store in 1993. By 1996, their locations totaled more than 600 and spread across 10 states. Advance launched its 3,000th store in 2006. In 2010 they upped the count to 3,500.
Advance search
In the states, Advance Auto Parts locations essentially blanket the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southeastern and midwestern regions. There are a few states where the chain runs thin. There is only a single Advance Auto Parts store in all of Missouri, for example, and there are currently just two locations that serve the state of Kansas.
It's no real surprise that you won't come across a listing for Advance Auto Parts in the Nome or Juneau Yellow Pages (that's if you can get a hold of a Yellow Pages). You won't hear Advance saying "Aloha" in Honolulu, either. Actually, the retailer has yet to expand farther west than Colorado. For the record, the following states have yet to experience Advance Auto Parts stores:
- Arizona
- California
- Idaho
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Washington State
- Wyoming
The rest of the country's in luck. If you're trying to locate the closest Advance Auto Parts shop, you can always reach Advance Auto Parts by phone. Their toll-free number is 877-238-2623 (ADVANCE).
If you prefer surfing to chatting, finding Advance Auto Parts locations is easily accomplished with any web-enabled device. All you have to do is locate the "Find a store" link toward the top of their site, enter your zip code, and click "Find."
A quick test of this web service displays 99 results for a Chicago zip code, starting with one location a mere 0.2 miles away -- that's close enough to leave the car at home! That leaves just 3,801 Advance Auto Parts store to go.
Article Sources
Website
"About Us—General Information." Advance Auto Parts. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from
Website
"About Us—History of Advance Auto Parts." Advance Auto Parts. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from
Website
Cosper, D. (May 13, 2013.) "10 Biggest Fast Food Chains in the U.S. (by Location)." EZlocal. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from http://ezlocal.com/blog/post/10-largest-fast-food-chains-2013.aspx
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