Trak Auto
If You Need It, Trak’s Got It.
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| Private | |
| Industry | Specialty retail |
| Fate | Liquidation |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founders | Robert Haft, Herbert Haft |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Landover, Md., USA |
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Number of locations
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333 (1993) |
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Area served
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Washington, D.C. metro area; Richmond, Virginia metro area; Chicago metro area; Los Angeles metro area; San Diego metro area |
| Products | Replacement automotive parts & accessories |
| Parent | Dart Group (1979–1997), Restoration Auto Parts (1997–2001) |
| Website | Last official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2001-12-11) |
Trak Auto Corporation was an American retail chain specializing in automotive parts and accessories based in Landover, Maryland. Founded by Robert Haft in 1979, at its peak in 1993 it operated 333 stores around the United States under the Trak Auto, Super Trak, and Super Trak Warehouse concepts. A declining market, stiff competition, and management problems led to a steep decline and bankruptcy, with its remaining stores acquired by and converted to Advance Auto Parts in 2002.
Trak Auto formed part of the stable of discount operations owned by the Dart Group, the family holding company of Herbert Haft, and grew indirectly out of Dart Drug. Part of Dart Drug's strategy was to offer additional merchandise beyond the usual prescription drugs, health and beauty aids, and other merchandise that is typically found in a neighborhood drug store during the early 1970s. Robert Haft noticed that they were selling large volumes of auto supplies in his drug stores. His research discovered that 80 percent of aftermarket auto supplies were sold by independent, mom-and-pop operations, leaving room for a national discount retailer. After studying competitors like Sears and the Pep Boys, Trak Auto was launched in 1979.
Trak Auto expanded rapidly, following the same aggressive strategy as its recently formed sister company, Crown Books: heavy discounts on high-volume products from mostly suburban standalone locations. In 1982, it partnered with Los Angeles-based Thrifty Corp, owners of the Thrifty Drug Stores chain, to open Trak Auto stores in Southern California. The venture lost heavily, which Haft blamed on insufficient volume— "We needed 50 stores in Chicago and 100 in Los Angeles to break even" he would tell Fortune magazine in a 1987 interview. After Thrifty agreed to be acquired by Pacific Lighting in 1986, it sold its stake in the West Coast Trak Auto and Crown Books operations back to Dart, paying $11.7 million to be relieved of $40 million in loan guarantees.
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