JC Whitney

JC Whitney is a retailer of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. It was acquired by CarParts.com (formerly U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.), a publicly traded American online provider of aftermarket auto parts in 2010. In July 2020, JC Whitney was merged into CarParts.com.[1]

JC Whitney
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
FoundedChicago, IL 1915
Headquarters
LaSalle, IL
ProductsAftermarket Automotive Parts and Accessories
ParentCarParts.com
WebsiteJC Whitney

History

JC Whitney began its life in 1915 as The Warshawsky Company, a scrap metal yard on the South Side of Chicago. The company's founder was a Lithuanian immigrant named Israel Warshawsky. Throughout World War I, Israel bought failed auto manufacturers and added new parts to his inventory. The Warshawky Company continued to grow, even during the Great Depression. The company closed its Chicago location and opened a new location in LaSalle, Illinois, in 1997.

In 1934, Israel's son Roy joined his father at the company after graduating from the University of Chicago. Roy proposed expanding out from the Chicago-area with a nationwide catalog and placed an ad in Popular Mechanics for sixty dollars. The ad offered readers a "giant auto parts catalog" if they sent in twenty-five cents and response to the ad was huge.

Roy took charge after his father's death in 1943. He continued to grow the business through World War II, always developing new strategies in response to changing customer needs. Roy retired in 1991.

On June 26, 2002, The Riverside Company acquired JC Whitney.[2] In 2007, The Riverside Company created Whitney Automotive Group, which owned other companies such as CarParts.com, StylinTrucks.com, and AllBikeSupershop.com. On August 17, 2010, JCWhitney (along with the rest of Whitney Automotive Group) was acquired by U.S. Auto Parts for $27.5 million.[3]

In July 2020, JC Whitney was merged into CarParts.com. JC Whitney will also launch a new line of accessories for Jeep and truck owners on its new website.[1]

LaSalle, Illinois, location

The LaSalle, Illinois, facility contains the expansive distribution center. The facility used to contain a public retail outlet center until August 2019 but the area has been repurposed to expand the distribution center.[4] This facility is also affiliated with Carparts.com. As recently as May 2020, the company's customer service is being handled in the Philippines. The LaSalle call center and the Independence, Ohio call centers have both been closed. Parent company CarParts.com has also closed its Carson, California distribution facility and added distribution centers in Chesapeake, Virginia (opened 2016), and Las Vegas, Nevada (opened in 2019).

References
  1. "A New Era for JC Whitney". CarParts.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. "Multichannel Merchant". August 1, 2002.
  3. "US Auto Parts Investor Relations Web Site". August 17, 2010.
  4. "J.C. Whitney Outlet Store Added To Rash Of Closures". lcbcradio.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
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