AutoZone 2000 Annual Report Download - page 5

A personal note from John:
Since the theme of this annual report is "shedding light,” I thought it would
be a perfect opportunity to take the pen for a moment and shed a little light on my
recent decision to step aside as CEO while remaining as chairman.
I’m extremely proud of all AutoZone has accomplished during my tenure as CEO.
We expanded the commercial business, started selling truck parts, broke new ground in
technology, led the way in industry consolidation and took AutoZone south of the border.
I feel terrific about where we’re positioned as a company, and it’s that confidence
that allows me to begin focusing more on a personal goal of spending more time with my
wife and three daughters.
I want to thank all of the AutoZoners for their extraordinary performances which have allowed us
to put a greater distance between us and our competition.
As chairman, I will work closely with our board and with our next CEO in taking AutoZone
to the next level. I look forward to celebrating many future successes with all of you.
international development strategy has just begun to
take shape. And DIY and commercial will continue to be
fertile ground for growth and innovation. It’s all part of a
bigger plan we have to prevail in an industry where others
are simply trying to figure out how to survive.
We chose the theme “shedding light” for this year’s
report because it sums up what we have to do to make
our plan successful. For our AutoZoners, that means
helping you see all of the career choices our success has
made possible. For our customers, that means helping
you take the mystery out of car care. And for our
stockholders, that means helping you understand our
industry a little better.
Best regards,
John Adams Tim Vargo
Chairman & CEO President & COO
Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction
base grew to more than 32,000 subscribers – a number
unrivaled in the automotive diagnostic and repair
software business. Fanatical customer service and
unmatched content have been the foundation for this
success, and the subscription renewal rate of more than
90% is a clear indication that the efforts are paying off.
ALLDATA has clearly established itself among automotive
professionals as the premier name in computer-based
diagnostic and repair information.
TruckPro also made progress during FY00. Sales
growth and EBIT margins remained in the low single
digits, but considering the extremely challenging
conditions the industry faced during the year, these
positive results are good indicators that we’re
figuring out the heavy duty business. We’ll focus on
gaining efficiencies in the coming year as we continue
to profitably build market share for this future
growth contributor.
We like the positive trends we saw in FY00, but liking
them isn’t enough. Our e-commerce push is barely off
the ground, and it will continue to evolve and grow. Our
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