Advance Auto Parts is a retail and wholesale distributor of automotive aftermarket parts, operating primarily in the U.S. under the "Advance Auto Parts" and "Carquest" banners. The company sells replacement parts, batteries, accessories, and maintenance items for cars, trucks, and SUVs — covering routine items like oil filters and wiper blades as well as hard parts like brakes, starters, and chassis components. Advance serves two customer groups: professional ("Pro") customers such as garages and dealerships that need fast parts delivery (ideally under 40 minutes), and DIY consumers who buy and install parts themselves. As of early 2026, Advance operated 4,305 company-owned stores and supplied 809 independently-owned Carquest stores. Advance sold its Worldpac wholesale business in late 2024, sharpening its focus on a "blended box" store model serving both Pro and DIY from the same location. The store network is tiered: standard stores carry roughly 23,200 SKUs, hub stores replenish nearby standard stores same-day, and market hubs (33 locations) carry 75,000–85,000 SKUs and serve as distribution nodes for surrounding stores. Private label brands represent roughly half of sales and carry higher margins. Advance is currently executing a multi-year turnaround under CEO Shane O'Kelly, focused on three areas: merchandising improvements (assortment, pricing, vendor cost reductions), supply chain transformation (consolidating from 38 to 12–15 large distribution centers and expanding the market hub network), and store operations upgrades. The company targets a ~7% adjusted operating margin medium-term, up from approximately 2.5% in FY25.