Genuine Parts Co. announced an acquisition for its U.S. Automotive Parts Group.
The Company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Merle’s Automotive Supply (Merle’s), with an effective close date of May 1, 2017. Merle’s, founded in 1969 and based in Tucson, Arizona, is a 14 location automotive parts distributor serving both the commercial and retail markets in the greater Tucson and southern Arizona area. The addition of Merle’s will consolidate into our U.S. automotive operations and is expected to generate approximate annual revenues of $45 million.
Paul Donahue, president and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Merle’s is a leading automotive distributor in the greater Tucson area, and this strategic acquisition significantly enhances our automotive store footprint and competitiveness in the Arizona marketplace. We are excited to welcome the Merle’s team to the U.S. Automotive Parts and GPC family and look forward to working with them and continuing our shared tradition of providing quality parts and excellent service to our customers.”
About Genuine Parts Co.
Genuine Parts Company is a distributor of automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. The Company also distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico through its Motion Industries subsidiary. S. P. Richards Company, the Office Products Group, distributes business products in the U.S. and Canada. The Electrical/Electronic Group, EIS, Inc., distributes electrical and electronic components throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Genuine Parts Company had 2016 revenues of $15.3 billion.