AutoZone, Inc. is an American retailer of aftermarketautomotive parts and accessories, the largest in the United States. Founded in 1979, AutoZone has 7,014 stores across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the US Virgin Islands. The company is based in Memphis, Tennessee.
| Website | autozone.com |
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AutoZone’s history starts with a wholesale food company called Malone & Hyde, Inc. The CEO and grandson of the company’s founder, J.R. “Pitt” Hyde III, initiated and developed Malone & Hyde’s specialty retailing division, beginning with drug stores and expanding to include sporting goods stores and supermarkets.
Pitt and some of Malone & Hyde’s top leadership identified a need for a chain of automotive parts stores with accessible products and excellent customer service. From that idea, Auto Shack was born.
On July 4, 1979, the first Auto Shack store opened in Forrest City, Arkansas, as a division of Malone & Hyde, Inc.
In 1986, Auto Shack was spun off as a freestanding company, of which Pitt Hyde served as Chairman and CEO.
In 1987, Auto Shack was rebranded AutoZone.
In 1996, AutoZone launched AutoZone.com and purchased ALLDATA, the nation’s leading electronic automotive diagnostic and repair software provider.
The company sells auto and light truck parts, chemicals, and accessories through AutoZone stores in 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. It also sells automotive diagnostic and repair software through ALLDATA, diagnostic and repair information through alldatadiy.com, and auto and light truck parts and accessories through AutoZone.com.
With more than 100 000 employees and 6 400 stores, AutoZone, Inc. is considered one of the largest retailers and distributors of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the U.S. According to Forbes, the company is considered one of the top 2000 largest public companies in the world.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.autozone.com.
**Video published on YouTube by “AutoZone“.