1994: U.S. Auto Parts & Service Chain
U.S. AUTO PARTS and SERVICE CHAIN
A key responsibility as a member of the senior management team at a major automotive parts and service retailer was the participation in the development and execution of business growth strategies. The activity included strategic plans for the existing retail auto parts and service locations (product and service type plans), new store layouts and inventory support models and the identification and execution of new products, product categories or services.
Each year a review to seek growth opportunities outside of Canada was undertaken. In 1992 the decision was made to enter the U.S. market and a team was assembled to develop the strategy to be executed in 1993. As a member of the strategy development group we identified the most suitable retail store layout and service bay requirements for each of the locations to be built, the product assortment required, the corporate support and retail location staffing requirements and how to best manage the existing Canadian supplier relationships to ensure that the U.S. store chain was competitively positioned to succeed as a foreign owned entry into the automotive part s and service market place. It has to be able to compete against well established companies like AutoZone, Pep Boys, Advance Auto, etc…
The U.S. market entry called “AutoSource” was launched in 1993 with a head office and four store locations built in Louisville, Kentucky. The store chain grew to almost 40 stores located in three states before being sold to a U.S. based competitor in 1997. The U.S. entry was deemed a success and would have continued to contribute to the success of the company in the long term. However due to the rapid expansion of U.S based retailers into Canada starting in the mid 1990′s it was decided that the long term success of the parent company was dependent on its ability to protect and maintain its market dominance at home – Canada. To accomplish this, all resources (people and financial) were re-focused on the reaffirming the retailer position in Canada. The result of this strategy re-affirmed the company as the most successful Canadian retailer while delivering sales and profit growth exceeding market expectations.