AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories, serving both do-it-yourself customers and professional repair shops across the Americas. The company operates retail stores, commercial programs, and e-commerce channels offering aftermarket parts, maintenance items, tools, and accessories primarily for cars and light trucks. As of November 2025, AutoZone trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker AZO and is widely recognized as one of the largest players in the North American automotive aftermarket.

The business began in 1979 when it opened its first store in Forrest City, Arkansas under the name Auto Shack, a division of Malone & Hyde. The company rebranded to AutoZone in 1987 and expanded systematically across the United States. It reached 1,000 stores in 1995 and crossed the 5,000-store threshold in 2014, demonstrating steady organic growth over several decades. International expansion followed, with entry into Mexico in 1998 and Brazil in 2013, extending the footprint beyond the U.S. and deepening commercial relationships with professional installers.

Today AutoZone operates a dense network of parts stores and distribution hubs designed for fast availability and frequent delivery of hard parts, consumables, and specialty inventory. The company's model blends neighborhood retail locations with commercial sales programs, regional distribution centers, and an online platform that supports buy-online-pickup-in-store and direct-to-home fulfillment. Stores typically feature bright, branded facades, visible service counters, and back-of-house inventory areas tailored to high-velocity automotive categories.

As of the first quarter of fiscal 2026, AutoZone reported 7,710 stores across the Americas, including locations in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, along with more than 100 Mega Hub and Hub stores carrying expanded assortments. The company opened 53 net new stores in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 alone, signaling an active expansion posture. Management consistently prioritizes new store development, expansion of Mega Hub and Hub formats, and deeper commercial penetration, with particular focus on infill locations in existing U.S. markets and selective entry into underserved secondary and tertiary trade areas. For real estate professionals, AutoZone represents a creditworthy, traffic-driving auto parts tenant with a long operating history, consistent store rollout, and recognizable single-tenant box format that anchors or complements neighborhood retail corridors.