An AutoZone car parts store is being built-out on the White Horse Pike in Stratford, in the space which was previously a Pep Boys retail store. Pep Boys still operates the auto repair and tire shop garages in the Stratford building.
Basically the two former competitors will soon share the larger building in Stratford.
Remodeling is currently underway and the main Autozone signage is already in place.
This Pep Boys location featured a statue of the iconic Manny, Moe and Jack characters which sat in a cut-out portion of the front roof facade… today the statue is gone, and the notch is in the process of being filled in.
It appears a portion of the remodeling effort has been to fully separate the two businesses, offering separate entrances from the outside and closing off interior walls where necessary.
Additionally the larger parking lot at the Laurel Road corner will be more accessible to the new Autozone store.
While I do not know the opening timeline, Autozone is actively hiring for this location; Retail Sales Associate, Delivery Driver, Manager Trainee, Shift Supervisor, Commercial Sales Manager and others.
This new Autozone is less than 2 miles from the existing location on the same White Horse Pike, in Magnolia.
Pep Boys Exited Retail – Others Moved In
Two years ago billionaire Pep Boys owner Carl Icahn made the tough decision to move Pep Boys out of the retail car parts business, saying there was just no money in it any longer.
This left many Pep Boys locations with a functioning garage area for tire sales and basic repairs, but an attached empty retail store space… and those unused spaces may actually still be being paid for by Pep Boys.
But retail car part competitors AutoZone and Advanced Auto Parts appear to be thriving… opening up many new locations, and where it makes sense they are taking over the former Pep Boys retail store spaces.
I’ve covered several of the new Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts new locations that were developed, but I think I missed even more of them. Regularly as I am driving around I’ll see what clearly looks like a brand new auto-parts store and wonder to myself “wait, where did that one come from?!”
For the Pep Boys conversions, as far as I know this is the first situation in the 42Freeway area of a competitor taking over a former Pep Boys retail store space.
As another example, the Pep Boys Audubon NJ location is a very large building, and likely one of the biggest service garage areas of any of the area Pep Boys. The service area is open, and the retail store remains empty with no signs of another auto parts store taking it over.
Even the very recently updated site plan for the Audubon Crossings shopping center just shows the entire building as pep boys
In Washington Township on the Black Horse Pike the Pep Boys service garages were kept open for a small amount of time after the retail store closed, but then the entire Pep Boys location (Washington Township) closed.
The Washington Township property is now slated to become a Raising Cane’s chicken tender restaurant, which was just recently approved
Another location in Woodbury is operating as only a service business, but both Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts have existing locations not too far away.
Links and Locations
Autozone Auto Parts Stratford – Coming Soon
10 N White Horse Pike
Stratford, NJ 08084