Loss of jobber outlets during 2020 and 2021 totaled more than the five-year combined store loss during 2015 through 2019
Fort Wayne, Ind.—At mid-year 2019, there were just more than 16,800 jobber stores across the U.S., over 500 outlets fewer than in 2011. The jobber store population receded at a 0.4 percent average annual rate between 2011 and 2019, according to Lang Marketing’s “Aftermarket iReport.” For context, this was a much slower annual pace of jobber store attrition than had occurred during the previous 10-year span (2001 to 2011), when nearly 1,800 jobber stores were shuttered.
However, the report stated, “Over the past two years, jobber stores have closed at a sharply increased rate, over double the annual pace from 2011 to 2019. This has changed the mix of auto parts stores (jobbers and retail auto parts stores) across the U.S.”
The following are a few of the study’s findings:
2021 Jobber Population
• The jobber store population in the U.S. fell by approximately 810 from 2011 to 2021. There were 17,338 jobbers in the U.S. at mid-year 2011, receding to approximately 17,060 by 2015.
• By 2016, the jobber store population in the U.S. was 16,995, slipping to 16,905 in 2018 and just more than 16,800 by mid-year 2019.
• The pace of jobber store attrition abruptly increased during 2020 and 2021 as the annual loss of jobber stores occurred at more than twice the rate of the previous five years.
• As a result, the loss of jobber outlets during 2020 and 2021 totaled more than the five-year combined store loss during 2015 through 2019.
Forty-seven Percent Down from the Peak Jobber Population
• The jobber population in the U.S. peaked at just more than 31,000 outlets nationwide during 1981. This had capped a steady annual gain in jobber stores across the U.S. following World War II (a 36-year span).
• The pace of jobber store attrition was highest during the 1980s and 1990s and slowed after 2000, with annual attrition averaging less than 1.0 percent between 2011 and 2016.
• Over the next two years, the rate of jobber store loss declined by nearly one-third, before the annual pace nearly doubled during 2020 and 2021.
Jobber Stores Concentrated East of the Mississippi
• At mid-year 2021, the East North Central States were home to the greatest number of jobber stores, over 3,300, followed by the South Atlantic region with nearly 3,200 jobber outlets. These two regions represented nearly 40 percent of jobber locations nationwide at mid-year 2021.
• The Middle Atlantic States ranked third in jobber store count, with more than half of jobber stores at mid-year 2021 concentrated in three contiguous Eastern regions: East North Central, South Atlantic, and Middle Atlantic.
Other Eastern Regions
Two other Eastern regions (New England and East South Central) combined for approximately 12 percent of jobber stores across the U.S.
Western Areas
The West South Central region (dominated by Texas) was home to the largest number of jobber locations west of the Mississippi, followed by Pacific area (Washington, Oregon, and California).
Regional Jobber Decline
The jobber store population receded in the U.S. by nearly 5 percent between 2011 and 2021. The Pacific states suffered the highest rate of decline in jobber population over those 10 years. In contrast, the East North Central region recorded the lowest rate of jobber store attrition.
Overall, the jobber store count decreased at a slower annual pace east of the Mississippi than it did across the four Western regions.
Changes in Auto Parts Store Mix
The sharp increase in jobber store closings during 2020 and 2021 created a significant change in the mix of auto parts stores (jobbers and retail auto parts stores) across the U.S., as jobbers suffered a diminishing share of the total auto parts store population.
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