Advance Auto Parts plan to shrink number of stores in U.S. includes Western Washington
Advance Auto Parts appears to be shrinking its footprint in the Puget Sound region, following a Thursday announcement of hundreds of store closures nationwide.
A state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification released Friday morning stated that General Parts Distribution LLC had filed a permanent closure affecting 100 employees involving locations including Tacoma, Seattle, Lakewood, Auburn, Bellevue, Burien, Federal Way, Kent and Puyallup.
The LLC shares the same address and email as the main corporate site for the auto parts chain, according to state corporate filings.
A store location list on the company’s website shows a total of 21 Washington stores in operation, including additional cities not listed in Friday’s announcement.
Two of three area stores contacted in the cities listed on the state WARN form confirmed with The News Tribune they would be closing, with no specific date disclosed.
No official closure list has been made public.
The WARN form said the “expected beginning date of separations” would be Feb. 26, 2025.
A local store employee at one of the affected sites who did not want to be identified told The News Tribune employees were told Thursday.
“It’s happening everywhere,” she added, “Washington, Oregon, California …”
A corporate spokeswoman for the chain referred The News Tribune to the company’s statement Thursday, where it announced it would be shuttering “523 Advance corporate stores, exiting 204 independent locations, and closing four distribution centers.”
At the same time, the chain also cited an “acceleration in pace of new store openings.” It noted that the overhaul was “a strategic plan to improve business performance with a focus on core retail improvements.”
CNN reported Thursday that the company had been pursuing a turnaround plan for the past year. In August, it announced the sale of Worldpac, an automotive parts wholesaler, for $1.5 billion.
Advance operates 4,781 stores mostly within the United States, with other locations in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
