Junior Word: The Carquest focus and challenges ahead
After years with the Carquest organization, Junior Word has taken on a new role, president of Carquest Independent Stores. He talks with Aftermarket Business World about the company’s direction over the next 12 months and the challenges they are prepared to tackle moving forward.
What is your background and how did it prepare you for your current role?
I began my career in the auto parts aftermarket industry 21 years ago when I started working at Firestone in a service and retail capacity. Having to work with many types of customers, I quickly learned how important it is to instill confidence in said customers. If you serve them well, they will feel positive about the experience and return for future service. It all boils down to taking care of your customers!
In 2003, I moved to the retail side of the business when I joined Advance Auto Parts. Starting at a store in Roanoke, VA, I progressed through the field management ranks including Store Manager, District Manager, Regional Vice President and now, President of Carquest North America. During my 17 years at Advance, I have never forgotten the importance of serving the customer; they must be at the center of everything you do.
What are Carquest’s focuses for the next 12 months?
Next year, we will focus on further integrating enterprise programs into our Carquest Independent portfolio of offerings. Specifically, we plan to accelerate our store partners’ professional businesses by activating on a wider range of Advance professional programs, promotions and strategic accounts. We know our store partners need access to the right parts at the right times at fair prices and are continuing to optimize our supply chain network and provide tools to maximize our store partners’ inventory. Finally, we plan on driving awareness and DIY sales through a new branding and digital strategy.
All told, I’m very energized about the Carquest business. The owners of our 1,260 Carquest Independent locations share our commitment to providing superior service and supporting their local communities. The store partners are key to the success Carquest has had this year, and 2020 and beyond are about further improving our program to serve their businesses.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for CARQUEST members, and how do you help to tackle these?
The biggest challenge facing our store partners is helping them to understand the impact of our ever-changing industry. There are two primary areas: digital marketing and vehicle technology advancements. We recently launched an omnichannel parts catalog that integrates our POS system and eCommerce platform. We are also developing a professional customer app on the same platform to facilitate mobile eCommerce. As cars become more technologically sophisticated, we are working hard to ensure our Independent partners have the products to capture sales as demand shifts and the access to training about the industry’s latest trends and technologies.
Where do you see opportunity in the market over the next five years?
Knowing the average age of vehicles has reached an all-time high in America and is expected to grow over the next five years, I’m optimistic about the future of our Independent stores. At Carquest, we recognize the need to help our customers with marketing, information technology and supply chain operations to help them grow their business profitability, but the relationships starts with being a reliable partner in getting parts where they need to be, fast. New technology and optimization to inventory assortments based on vehicles in operation data and other predictive variables will only help us deliver on that promise again and again. We are laser focused on helping our customers grow.
