Sears, Roebuck and Company, colloquially known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in 1893, and was reincorporated by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald in 1906. Formerly based at the Sears Tower in Chicago and currently headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, the operation began as a mail ordering catalog company and began opening retail locations in 1925. The first location was in Chicago, Illinois. In 2005, the company was bought by the management of the American big box chain Kmart, which formed Sears Holdings upon completion of the merger.
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, equipment, and accessories, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer. The parts, accessories, etc. for sale may not be manufactured by the OEM. According to a report by the International Trade Administration in the Department of Commerce, "Aftermarket parts are divided into two categories: replacement parts and accessories. Replacement parts are automotive parts built or remanufactured to replace OE parts as they become worn or damaged. Accessories are parts made for comfort, convenience, performance, safety, or customization, and are designed for add-on after the original sale of the motor vehicle."
AutoZone, Inc. is an American retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, the largest in the United States. Founded in 1979, AutoZone has over 6,300 stores across the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company is based in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Pep Boys: Manny, Moe & Jack is an American automotive aftermarket retail and service chain. They are referred to as the "founders of the automotive after market".
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg.
MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting is an American franchisor of auto painting and collision repair shops based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1972 by Anthony A. Martino and Daniel I. Rhode.
AAMCO is an American transmission-repair franchise founded by Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino in 1957 in Philadelphia. Martino eventually ended his affiliation with AAMCO to manage the MAACO autobody-shop franchise, but Morgan stayed on with his son, Keith Morgan, succeeding him as CEO.
Anthony A. Martino was an auto mechanic and entrepreneur from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Penske Corporation is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is president.
Icahn Enterprises L.P. is an American conglomerate headquartered at the General Motors Building in New York City. The company has investments in various industries including auto parts, energy, metals, rail cars, casinos, food packaging, real estate, and home fashion. The company is controlled by Carl Icahn, who owns 95% of it.
An automobile repair shop is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians.
Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. is a franchise-based international automotive repair chain with more than 900 locations. The chain is ranked #52 in the Franchise 500 (2014) and #54 in America’s Top Global (2013). Previously known as Meineke Discount Mufflers, the company changed its name to Meineke Car Care Centers in 2003 when it expanded to offer full-service auto repairs.
Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers is an American automotive service company focusing on scheduled maintenance, undercar repairs, and retail tire sales. Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers is named for Monroe County, New York, without the "e."
Sears Holdings Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the parent company of the chain stores Kmart and Sears and was founded after the former purchased the latter in 2005. It was the 20th-largest retailing company in the United States in 2015. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018 and sold its assets to ESL Investments in 2019. The new owner moved Sears assets to its newly-formed subsidiary Transform Holdco LLC and after that, Sears Holdings Corporation was closed.
GKN Automotive is the leading automotive driveline technology and systems engineer. GKN Automotive is a global partner to the automotive industry. More than 50% of the 80 million new cars sold every year contain GKN Automotive technology.
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is a private holding company headquartered in the Clayton suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It is the parent company of car rental companies Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent a Car, and Enterprise CarShare. The holding company was formed in 2009 as a result of Enterprise Rent-A-Car's 2007 acquisition of Vanguard Automotive Group, the parent company of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car. The company sells its used cars through Enterprise Car Sales. It is owned by the Taylor family.
Auto Parts Warehouse (APW) is an American online retailer of automotive parts and accessories for cars, vans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. It is one of the flagship websites of U.S. Auto Parts Network, a publicly traded company that owns and manages a chain of auto parts stores and a free automotive repair guide online. Founded in 1995, Auto Parts Warehouse commenced as a small-scale auto parts distributor in California until it established itself as a massively operated e-commerce site for the automotive aftermarket, with more than 2 million stock keeping units (SKUs) in its catalog. With headquarters in Carson, the online retailing site has expanded its market reach and retail distribution in all locations throughout the United States.
Daniel A. (Dan) Ninivaggi is an American lawyer and business executive. Ninivaggi served in various executive positions with Lear Corporation, a U.S.-based Tier 1 automotive supplier. He then served as President and CEO of Icahn Enterprises L.P., the principal investment vehicle of U.S. billionaire Carl C. Icahn, from 2010 to 2014. From February 2014 to March 2017, Ninivaggi was Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation, based in Southfield, Michigan, USA. On March 8th, 2017 Ninivaggi assumed the role of managing partner of the automotive segment of Icahn Enterprises L.P., which owns Federal-Mogul. He presently serves as CEO of Icahn Automotive Group LLC, owner of automotive distribution and service businesses, including Pep Boys, Auto Plus, AAMCO and Precision Tune. Ninivaggi has served on the Board of Directors of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. since 2014.
Transform SR Brands, LLC is an American privately held company formed on February 11, 2019, to acquire some of the assets of Sears Holdings Corporation. The new company is owned by Eddie Lampert's ESL Investments hedge fund of Greenwich, Connecticut. Following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Sears Holdings on October 15, 2018, Transformco purchased the surviving assets owned by Sears Holdings for $5.2 billion.
