Pep Boys is celebrating its 100th year in business by announcing business expansion plans and investments that will solidify its position as a leading automotive service provider. Over the next several months, the #PepBoysRoadTrip, a custom, Pep Boys-branded bus, will travel across the country to affirm the Company’s commitment to the thousands of local communities it serves. Along the way, Pep Boys will mark the opening of new locations and kick off new business initiatives, while celebrating the Team Members and customers who helped the Company reach this remarkable milestone.
Said Brian Kaner, CEO, Pep Boys, “Since Pep Boys was founded 100 years ago, our mission has been to make car care more accessible. For our founders, this meant getting drivers the new auto parts they needed to repair the recently invented automobile. As we shift the Pep Boys business model to focus primarily on automotive service and tires, we’re doing just what our founders did: adapting to changes in the market and the demands and preferences of our customers. Our centennial is the perfect time to honor our heritage, celebrate our success, and jumpstart our future by hitting the road to reconnect with the Team Members and customers to whom we’ve made a promise for the next 100 years: ‘We go further to help you go farther.’”
A Road Trip for the Ages
Taking its 100-year birthday celebration to the streets, the Pep Boys Centennial Road Trip experience, sponsored by Cooper Tires, will make hundreds of stops in North American cities nationwide. Pep Boys Road Trip kicked off in Orlando, Florida on June 26.
The full-throttle celebration – featuring an iconic, fully restored 1964 Ramp Truck rebuilt in partnership with Shell and Flat 12 Gallery – also included a car show, giveaways, family activities, music, local food trucks and a live DJ.
Once Pep Boys Road Trip leaves Orlando, you can follow the bus on social media using #PepBoysRoadTrip. Catch the bus at Pep Boys stores, sporting events and concerts, and community celebrations, and come out and see the Pep Boys Street Team for fun and a chance to win amazing giveaways. Along the way, Pep Boys will also distribute over $100,000 in technician education scholarships and raise funds for its primary philanthropic partner, The Woodruff Foundation, and the Pep Boys Go Further Fund, an employee assistance program that has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to families in need.
“The new Pep Boys Service experience isn’t about what happens in our bays, it’s about giving people a great experience and getting them back on the road so they can be at the places and with the people that matter most,” said Kaner. “I can’t think of a better way to reintroduce customers to the new Pep Boys than surprising them at one of our locations or meeting them at some of the year’s most exciting events.”
A National Network Built for the Future
With nearly 1,000 locations across the country, Pep Boys has been strategically expanding its footprint with new greenfield and brownfield locations and acquisitions. In the second half of 2021, Pep Boys plans to open more than 20 locations in key markets across the country, as well as remodel nearly a third of its existing locations, as part of an alternative use strategy that includes leasing open sales floor space that formerly housed parts and accessories to other leading retailers. With a new look, a modern tire wall, and a now-completely digital customer service experience, Pep Boys is also introducing an exclusive, industry-leading electric vehicle (EV) service footprint during this pivotal centennial year.
As automakers globally have announced 40 new EV models to launch over the next two years, commercial fleets set electric conversion milestones, and existing EV vehicles come off warranty, Pep Boys is opening its first Electric Vehicle Service Center to customers in July 2021, after a several-month pilot. Pep Boys plans to accelerate the expansion of its EV service offering through additional East and West Coast locations which are aligned with both Pep Boys footprint and the densest and fastest-growing U.S. EV markets. Coupled with nearly 30 distribution center openings nationwide, the new Pep Boys locations also will help to create critical new jobs in each of the communities served.
“It’s fitting that Pep Boys is celebrating its centennial during one of the most transformative times in history of the automotive industry, and at the same time that customers’ purchasing power and preferences are shifting distinctly,” said Kaner. “Pep Boys may be 100 years old, but our business is more viable than ever, and we’re committed to ensuring we’re here to serve the customers and communities of the next century.”
