News from two important distribution groups kicks off our round-up of most-viewed articles for this week. On Thursday, we learned that Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance welcomed two new shareholders, including Distribuidores del Golfo S.A. (DIGOSA) located in southeast Mexico, and Huntington, Pa.-based Miller Auto Parts & Supply Co. DIGOSA will convert its seven warehouses to Auto Value locations. Miller will convert its 27 parts stores into Bumper to Bumper locations.
That same day, Federated Auto Parts announced Automotive Electric Distributors (AED) of Portland, Ore., as its newest member. AED was founded in the mid-1950’s as Oregon Jobbers Association, changing its name to Automotive Electric Distributors in 1959. Since then, the company has seen significant growth and today serves 80 members with more than 120 stores, along with more than 500 professional automotive service customers, out of its four locations.
Another highly read news story this week came from ACDelco, which has launched a new trade advertising campaign. Dubbed “In Every Box,” the ad campaign leverages the recognizable ACDelco parts box to package service and business offerings as if they were parts. Miniature cardstock box replicas are appearing in leading automotive aftermarket trade magazines as inserts and banner ads that digitally transform the boxes are appearing online on targeted Web sites.
1-800-Radiator this week announced that it is continuing its expansion strategy with the acquisition of all seven locations of Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Automotive Cooling Products Inc. (ACP). The deal with ACP marks the fifth acquisition for 1-800-Radiator this year, and the 10th since December 2006. The company has added more than $46 million in new sales as a result of these acquisitions.
The final story in our weekly round-up deals with another notable acquisition. This week, U.S. Auto Parts Network, an online provider of aftermarket auto parts and accessories, announced it will purchase certain assets of SmartTrac Inc. The company is buying Smart Trac’s automotive advice website, which provides information on purchasing, caring for and repairing automobiles.
