Jump to content

  • Welcome to Auto Parts Forum

    Whether you are a veteran automotive parts guru or just someone looking for some quick auto parts advice, register today and start a new topic in our forum. Registration is free and you can even sign up with social network platforms such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. 

     

Sue Godschalk: ‘One Year Equals 365 Opportunities’


Recommended Posts

rssImage-24232eeeb7e92ae807af2677085685ca.jpeg

In

link hidden, please login to view
, we gave leaders from the major distribution groups and trade associations an opportunity to reflect on the most critical issues affecting the automotive aftermarket. For the second year in a row, we let distribution leaders “riff” on these topics in their own words.

Here’s what Sue Godschalk, president of Federated Auto Parts, had to say about Federated’s accomplishments thus far in 2023.

Federated Auto Parts got off to an exciting start at the beginning of the year with the announcement of our newly formed joint venture with the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance. Both groups immediately set to work as The Federated Alliance by evaluating areas where the combined membership could benefit through the elimination of duplication in areas such as data management, communication, education and training, and other important initiatives.

In March, we were excited to have our new co-venturers join us for the annual Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group) membership meeting, along with our partners from The Pronto Network, for an exciting four days at the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland just outside of the nation’s capital. Having The Federated Alliance members and The Pronto Network members in attendance, as well as representatives from our best APSG supplier partners, the meeting attendance was well over 1,000 and by far our largest meeting ever. The meeting theme of “E Pluribus Unum” (Latin for “out of many, one”) fit the location and best describes The Federated Alliance and The Pronto Network coming together with many new and exciting initiatives for the coming year.

On March 1, the Federated Auto Parts marketing team kicked off the Federated “Suite-Stakes” program, which has become an exciting annual program for our members and their service-provider customers. Suite-Stakes ran through June 30 and is always a fun way for Federated members to grow sales with existing customers and gain new business. In the past two years, Federated awarded more than 9,000 prizes, and this year is no different with a long prize list featuring new prizes, including sales team and member rewards and customer training events, such as a trip to Florida for a three-day hybrid/EV training workshop held at the new Group Training Academy Training & Research Center. With new automotive technologies and stricter regulations for environmental compliance on the horizon, education and training will continue to be a priority for Federated in the long term.

Another exciting addition to the Federated marketing program is our new sponsorship of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car racing series. The work area for each race is now known as the “Federated Car Care Work Zone” and receives a lot of visibility as the professional crew members work on the cars during the 87-race season that can be viewed on DIRTVision. This sponsorship ties in perfectly with the very popular “Get Dirty with Kenny” dirt-track racing experience we have conducted year after year for lucky Federated customers.

As the saying goes, one year equals 365 opportunities, and as new-vehicle sales continue to be low and the existing vehicle age high, I am optimistic that the second half of 2023 will be strong and full of opportunities for our industry and our membership.

Federated Auto Parts

  • Founded: 1985
  • Headquarters: Staunton, Virginia
  • Number of members/shareholders: 51
  • Number of distribution centers: 155
  • Number of parts stores: 1,500+
  • Number of suppliers: 200
  • Website:
    link hidden, please login to view

The post

link hidden, please login to view
appeared first on
link hidden, please login to view
.

link hidden, please login to view

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NAPA
      ATLANTA, April 18, 2024 /
      link hidden, please login to view/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global distributor of automotive and industrial replacement parts, announced today its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. "Our performance in the quarter highlights the value of our business mix paired with our geographic diversity as our teams delivered profits that were ahead of our expectations," said Paul Donahue, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We did this by staying focused on both our near- and long-term strategic initiatives to improve our business and drive profitable growth. I want to take a moment to thank our GPC teammates across the globe for their hard work and dedication to delivering value for our customers."
      First Quarter 2024 Results
      Sales were $5.8 billion, a 0.3% increase compared to $5.8 billion in the same period of the prior year. The sales result is attributable to a 1.9% benefit from acquisitions, offset by a 0.9% decrease in comparable sales and 0.7% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other.
      Net income was $249 million, or $1.78 per diluted earnings per share. This compares to net income of $304 million, or $2.14 per diluted share in the prior year period.
      Adjusted net income, which excludes a net expense of $62 million after tax adjustments, or $0.44 per diluted share, in non-recurring costs related to our global restructuring, was $311 million. This compares to net income of $304 million for the same three-month period of the prior year, an increase of 2.3%. On a per share diluted basis, adjusted net income was $2.22, an increase of 3.7% compared to diluted earnings per share of $2.14 last year. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net income to adjusted net income and GAAP diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share for more information.
      First Quarter 2024 Segment Highlights
      Automotive Parts Group ("Automotive")
      Global Automotive sales were $3.6 billion, up 1.9% from the same period in 2023, reflecting a 0.2% increase in comparable sales and a 2.8% benefit from acquisitions, partially offset by 1.1% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other. Segment profit of $273 million increased 3.2%, with segment profit margin of 7.6%, up 10 basis points from last year.
      Industrial Parts Group ("Industrial")
      Industrial sales were $2.2 billion, down 2.2% from the same period in 2023, with a 0.5% benefit from acquisitions, offset by a 2.6% decrease in comparable sales and 0.1% unfavorable impact of foreign currency. Segment profit of $271 million increased 3.4%, with segment profit margin of 12.3%, up 70 basis points from the same period of the prior year.
      "We are pleased with the start to 2024, which was highlighted by operating discipline that delivered improved overall earnings against a backdrop of low sales growth," said Will Stengel, President and Chief Operating Officer. "In Industrial, sales decreased low-single-digits, in-line with our expectations, as we were up against our most difficult comparative period for the year. In Automotive, the actions taken in our U.S. Automotive business are gaining traction, and we are encouraged by the sequential improvement in performance. This improvement, coupled with the solid performance of our other businesses, is reflected in our reaffirmed sales growth and improved earnings outlook for 2024."
      Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Capital Allocation
      The company generated cash flow from operations of $318 million for the first three months of 2024. We used $178 million in cash for investing activities, including $116 million for capital expenditures and $135 million for M&A. We also used $175 million in cash for financing activities, including $133 million for quarterly dividends paid to shareholders and $38 million for stock repurchases. Free cash flow was $203 million for the first three months of 2024. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for more information.
      The company ended the quarter with $2.5 billion in total liquidity, consisting of $1.5 billion availability on the revolving credit facility and $1.0 billion in cash and cash equivalents.
      2024 Outlook
      The company is updating full-year 2024 guidance previously provided in its earnings release on February 15, 2024. The company considered its recent business trends and financial results, current growth plans, strategic initiatives, global economic outlook, geopolitical conflicts and the potential impact on results in updating its guidance, which is outlined in the table below.

      link hidden, please login to view
    • By Dorman Products
      Overhaul hub hardware with just one kit | Dorman 615-018
    • By Advance Auto Parts
      Advance Auto Parts Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results
      02/28/2024   RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers, announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 30, 2023.
      “As we closed out 2023, we continued to act with a sense of urgency to stabilize the business and position the company to return to profitable growth,” said Shane O'Kelly, president and chief executive officer. “Our full year results are well below our expectations, and we are focused on instilling greater discipline and accountability both in the fundamental business and in how the organization executes across the board. In addition to the operational improvements we are implementing, we are strengthening internal controls and enhancing the quality of our accounting information to help better inform how we drive the business forward.
      “We continue to advance our ongoing operational and strategic review of the business, including the separate sales processes for Worldpac and our Canadian business. We have streamlined and reorganized the company’s leadership structure and have made several important new hires, including the appointments of Ryan Grimsland as Chief Financial Officer and Elizabeth Dreyer as Chief Accounting Officer. Building on the $150 million in annualized SG&A reductions our team executed in the fourth quarter, we recently launched an initiative to eliminate costs related to our indirect spend by an additional $50 million on an annualized basis. We are also moving forward with the consolidation of our supply chain to a single, unified network to create efficiencies and better serve customers. Looking ahead, we are committed to driving enhanced value for shareholders by executing on the fundamentals of our business – focusing on the customer, investing in our frontline and strengthening our competitive position.”
      Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results (1)
      Fourth quarter 2023 Net sales totaled $2.5 billion, a 0.4% decrease compared with the prior year. Comparable store sales for the fourth quarter 2023 decreased 1.4%. For full year 2023, Net sales of $11.3 billion increased 1.2% from 2022. Comparable store sales for the full year decreased 0.3%.
      The company's Gross profit decreased 11.9% from the fourth quarter of the prior year to $950.8 million or 38.6% of Net sales compared with 43.6% in the prior year quarter. This result reflects both business performance and atypical drivers, primarily attributable to a change in inventory related items and elevated supply chain costs. The company's full year Gross profit was $4.5 billion, or 40.1% of Net sales, representing a 414 basis points decrease from the prior year primarily driven by inventory related items and costs not fully covered by pricing actions.
      The company's SG&A was $999.4 million in the fourth quarter, or 40.6% of Net sales compared with 38.8% for the prior year quarter. This was primarily driven by a year over year increase in occupancy costs and store labor. The company's full year SG&A was $4.4 billion, or 39.1% of Net sales compared with 38.2% in the prior year.
      The company's fourth quarter Operating loss was $48.6 million, or (2.0)% of Net sales compared with the fourth quarter of the prior year Operating income of $119.3 million or 4.8% of Net sales. The company's full year Operating income was $114.4 million, or 1.0% of Net sales, compared with $670.3 million, or 6.0% of Net sales, in the prior year.
      The company's effective tax rate in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 42.3%. The company's Diluted loss per share was $0.59 compared with Diluted earnings per share of $1.39 in the fourth quarter of the prior year. The company's effective tax rate for full year 2023 was 6.6%. The company's 2023 Diluted earnings per share was $0.50 compared with $7.65 in the prior year.
      Net cash provided by operating activities was $0.3 billion for the full year 2023 versus $0.7 billion for the prior year. The decrease was primarily driven by lower Net income and working capital. Free cash flow for the full year 2023 was $43.7 million, compared with $312.5 million for the prior year.
      During management’s review, the company identified issues with certain previously reported financials. All comparisons are based on the corrected historical results as depicted in the financial tables herein, which include the correction of non-material errors in previously reported results.
      The company filed a Form 12b-25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and disclosed that it expects to file its Form 10-K prior to the expiration of the extension period.
      (1) All comparisons are based on the same time period in the prior year. Comparable store sales include locations open for 13 complete accounting periods and excludes sales to independently owned Carquest locations.
      Capital Allocation
      On February 13, 2024, the company declared a regular cash dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid on April 26, 2024 to all common stockholders of record as of April 12, 2024.
      Subsequent Events
      On February 26, 2024, the company entered into an amendment to its revolving credit facility to enable certain addbacks to financial covenants for specific write-downs of inventory and vendor receivables. As of December 30, 2023, considering the amendment, the company was in compliance with the credit facility’s financial covenants.
      Full Year 2024 Guidance (1)
      "In 2024, we are refining our operational improvement plans and building on the decisive actions we have taken to turn around the company’s performance. We are committed to improving overall productivity and taking a disciplined approach to reducing expenses, which will support our focus on investing in our team members. Our 2024 full year guidance is reflective of the steps we must take to reset the business and solidify our foundation for the long term," said Ryan Grimsland, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

      link hidden, please login to view
    • A-premium Auto Parts:5% OFF with Code GM5.

×
  • Create New...