2000-present
In January 2003, Mitch Leibovitz announced his retirement. Larry Stevenson, from the Canadian book retailer Chapters, was named CEO later that year and served until pressured by the company's two largest shareholders to resign in July 2006. In March 2007, Jeffrey C. Rachor was named CEO.[11]
The following year, Pep Boys Chief Operating Officer Michael "Mike" R. Odell became Interim CEO with the resignation of Jeff Rachor.[12] In September 2008, Odell was named CEO.[13]
In October 2009, Pep Boys acquired tire retailer Florida Tire. The acquisition gave Pep Boys ten service and tire centers in the Orlando market.[14]
In March 2011, Pep Boys acquired seven stores from tire retailer Big O Tires. The acquisition gave Pep Boys service and tire centers in Washington state, in the Pacific Northwest.[15] In May 2011, Pep Boys acquired tire retailer Big 10 Tires. The acquisition gave Pep Boys an additional 84 service and tire centers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, including concentrations around Atlanta and Orlando.[16] In June 2011, Pep Boys acquired seven locations from automotive repair company My Mechanic. The acquisition gave Pep Boys additional locations in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area.[17]
In January 2012, Pep Boys announced that it had agreed to be acquired by The Gores Group, a Los Angeles-based private equity investment company, for $15 per share, or approximately $1 billion. But four months later, in May 2012, it was announced that the deal had fallen through.[18] In September 2013, Pep Boys acquired 18 Discount Tire Centers in Southern California, enabling the company to boast, "Seventy-five percent of Los Angeles-area residents now live within three miles of Pep Boys."[6] In September 2014, Mike Odell resigned as president and CEO and John Sweetwood became Interim CEO.[19]
In June 2015, Scott P. Sider, group president of Hertz Corporation's Rent A Car Americas, became the company's new CEO.[20] In October 2015, Bridgestone Retail Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., agreed to purchase the company for $835,000,000.[21]
However, in December 2015, Pep Boys terminated the previously announced acquisition deal with Bridgestone and signed a merger agreement with Icahn Automotive Group, a subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises. In February 2016, Icahn announced that it completed its acquisition of Pep Boys in an all-cash transaction for $18.50 per share or approximately $1.03 billion.[4]
In January 2017, Pep Boys acquired Just Brakes, a 134-store automotive repair and maintenance chain, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Pep Boys.[22] In March 2017, Dan A. Ninivaggi, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Federal-Mogul LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Federal-Mogul Motorparts, became the company's new CEO.[23]
In April 2019, Icahn Enterprises, which owns and operates Pep Boys, announced new fleet-specific Pep Boys Mobile Crew vehicles to provide on-location maintenance and repair. The move adds smaller-format fleet vans to the Pep Boys Mobile Crew equipped with repair supplies and staffed by trained technicians to complete common fleet maintenance and repair needs on-location.[24]
In September 2019, Pep Boys agreed to pay $3.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company violated California laws by illegally dumping hazardous waste. Inspectors from the Alameda County District Attorney's office allegedly found numerous instances of unlawful disposal of hazardous waste by the company, including automotive fluids, batteries, aerosol cans, electronic devices, used oil, and other regulated wastes.[25]
Pep Boys restructured its retail and service operations in the 2020s to focus more heavily on automotive repair amid changing consumer habits. Beginning in early 2021, Pep Boys began to split parts and service into two separate companies. While service would remain with Pep Boys, parts would be operated by Auto Plus Auto Parts. Each company would operate under separate leadership. Auto Plus operated multiple independent and branded building, but also operates parts inside of Pep Boys locations. As of 2022, all buildings remain branded Pep Boys despite Auto Plus operating inside. Auto Plus is led by President Joe Ferrer. On January 31, 2023, Auto Plus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Pep Boys would be spun off by the bankruptcy into its own separate company.[26][27]
In February 2023, Scott Collette was appointed as the new CEO of Pep Boys. In December 2023, Pep Boys announced the company had completed its transition away from retail operations to focus exclusively on automotive services, including its locations in Puerto Rico.[28][29]
In February 2024, David Willetts was appointed as CEO of Pep Boys, with Scott Collette transitioning to Chief Operating Officer. Leadership changes during this period reflected a broader effort to modernize operations, invest in service infrastructure and improve profitability. In September 2024, Joe Auriemma, who was Chief Marketing Officer, was named interim CEO of the chain. In February 2025, Auriemma was named Chief Executive Officer.[30][31][32]
