Advance Auto Parts 2005 Annual Report Download - page 15

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Advance Auto Parts, Inc.
I
Annual Report 2005
I
13
tools, batteries and interior automotive accessories. By
partnering with manufacturers to bring innovative, quality
import products at competitive prices, Advance is leading the
way for value in the automotive aftermarket.
Do you want more choices than ever? We have
them. Advance Auto Parts is helping make our Do-It-Yourself
and Commercial Customers’
decisions easier by offering a
wide variety of parts, products
and accessories specifically
tailored to meet their needs.
Advance’s category management
process is part of our daily
culture and is constantly being
fine-tuned to benefit our
Customers and their wallets. As a retailer, we are the
intermediary between our Customers and vendor partners.
Focusing on the requests from our Customers and the
experience of our vendors helps Advance continuously refine
our merchandise assortment to meet our Customers’ needs.
In addition to enhancing our in-store availability, our focus
on category management helps Advance decide how we sell
and price our merchandise to be most cost-effective for
our Customers.
Micro-marketing helps us meet the needs of each Customer
on a market-by-market basis, addressing the specific needs
of stores by looking at both demographics and geography.
For example, if a large body of water is located nearby then
chances are the local Advance Auto Parts store offers marine
merchandise to keep boating equipment in great working
condition. Another example of micro-marketing is our ability
to supply our Customers with the appropriate products to
prepare their vehicles for changing weather or seasonal
conditions, such as providing winter-weather products earlier
in the year in the Northeast, before the first big snowfall hits.
Custom mix is yet another initiative that is helping Advance
become the most reliable retailer in the automotive aftermarket
by addressing Customers’ needs on a store-by-store basis.
We use this program to look closely at all the variables in a
market, such as vehicle population, to make sure we are
providing the right inventory
to satisfy the needs of that
area. With custom mix,
Advance compiles a separate
and totally unique inventory
for each store that is expertly
designed to meet the individual
needs for the Customers of
that store. Now that is service
at the most personal level!
“Our Customer Contact Center
works hard to get our stores the
answers they need quickly so that
our stores can get back to the
important work of serving their
Customers.”
Sandra Smith, Customer
Contact Center Representative
—Continued on next page
60
percent
Direct Import
Program
In 2005 added:
more SKUs