Advance Auto Parts presented its 2021 Vendor of the Year awards during the company’s annual Partner Growth Summit, held virtually in Raleigh, North Carolina.
During the event, Advance honored numerous vendors for their partnership and performance and helped raise $1.5 million for Building Homes for Heroes through vendor contributions. Since 2009, Advance has helped raise more than $16 million for Building Homes for Heroes, which gifts mortgage-free homes to wounded service members.
The 2021 Vendor of the Year award was presented to Gilmore, “an expert in flow-control solutions.” A partner of Advance for more than 20 years, Gilmore was recognized for its exemplary product-quality standards, partnership on major company initiatives and consistently proven dedication and loyalty.
“Our vendor partners consistently show passion and dedication to provide DIYers and professional customers with the best parts selection in the industry,” said Jason McDonell, Advance’s executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and eCommerce. “These partnerships are crucial to our success and the ability to meet our customer’s needs would not be possible without them. On behalf of Advance, we thank those that attended this year’s Partner Growth Summit and congratulate Gilmore and all of our award winners.”
Advance awarded the 2021 New Vendor of the Year to Solmark International Inc., and Action Sales & Marketing. Facing unprecedented demand, these partners delivered more than 12 million masks for Advance team members at a time of critical need. Their partnership, speed and execution played a key role in providing PPE material to Advance’s distribution centers and stores to keep team members and customers safe, the company noted.
Amalie Oil Co. was named Strategic Initiative Vendor of the Year for its high level of service, availability and contribution toward sales growth. As the lead supplier in a major company initiative transitioning private-label fluids from Carquest to FRAM, Amalie’s “innovative solutions allowed Advance to become a leader in private-label lubricants, achieving growth in sales and market share,” Advance said.
Clarios was named the co-winner of the Strategic Initiative Vendor of the Year award for taking on a large product changeover with no impact to supply. While creating a project strategy around the changeover, Clarios provided dedicated customer support to Advance’s store teams.
Anchor Industries was named the Superior Availability Vendor of the Year for providing excellent support to Advance and its customers. “A partner for more than 30 years, Anchor consistently sets the standard for order fill and on-time delivery,” Advance said.
The Professional Excellence Vendor of the Year was awarded to Motorcar Parts of America (MPA). A leader in the automotive aftermarket, MPA collaborated with several Advance teams and was a partner on major initiatives such as margin expansions and new-store openings. MPA’s partnership included a brand changeover to Carquest Premium, “a product that provided Advance a distinct competitive position in the aftermarket industry.”
