The Six Firms That Subtly Control Nearly Every Auto Service Chain in the U.S., Clarified.
Andrew P. Collins, with assets from Adobe
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Six major players dominate the auto service sector. Private equity firms own most of the prominent chains, preserving local branding to maintain customer loyalty.
Mavis is growing through the acquisition of Pep Boys. This acquisition underscores the industry's trend toward consolidation.
The strategic advantage of private equity. Firms like Roark and Monomoy leverage regional brand recognition without altering the identity.
Consumer implications. While consolidation can lead to advantages such as better prices and increased availability, it also diminishes competition and consumer choices.
In summary: A few influential firms, propelled by private equity, discreetly manage the majority of auto service chains, affecting consumer options and market dynamics.
Assisted by AI and reviewed by an editor
Mavis Tire recently acquired Pep Boys from Carl Icahn’s company for $700 million, making one of the nation's largest tire retailers even larger. However, the more intriguing aspect isn't just Mavis's growth, but rather understanding what Mavis truly represents and what that reveals about the local shop you trust.
Earlier this month, we noted that O’Reilly Auto Parts was looking to purchase NAPA’s auto parts outlets, leading us to explore the American aftermarket auto parts landscape. (TL;DR: Only four major auto parts retailers remain in the U.S., and two of them might merge.)
This week, the news of “Mavis to Acquire Pep Boys” landed on my desk. Mavis operates thousands of locations nationwide, while Pep Boys has around 800, making this a noteworthy development in the industry. However, it prompted me to consider—regardless of how many auto service chains exist in America, how many holding companies truly control them? The answer is six—these six large entities oversee nearly all car repair chains countrywide.
And there's a familiar source of power behind these parent companies: private equity. Mavis (backed by BayPine, Goldman, and TSG), Driven (Roark), Jiffy Lube (now under Monomoy), Take 5 (Roark), and Strickland Brothers (starting from 2024 with Roark)—the automotive service sector, like the aftermarket, is being consolidated by private equity firms that maintain recognizable local branding for its value.
The Key is Keeping the Branding Intact
The approach is simple. A private equity firm acquires a regional chain—like a well-loved tire shop that’s been in your neighborhood for decades—and importantly, doesn’t change the shop’s signage. The local name remains. The brand equity built over years by that shop is the very asset the buyer is investing in, so rebranding would amount to wasting money.
The outcome is that you can drive across the country and see what appear to be numerous famous local tire and service shops, yet many are managed by the same parent company. What looks like fragmentation on the surface is intentional, allowing these firms to scale up significantly without resembling the Walmart model or starting anew in brand development.
Of course, there are still countless independent auto shops owned by operators. Additionally, some franchises do retain local owners for specific locations, despite being part of larger corporations. But in terms of local brand-name operations, here's how the six dominant groups in auto service are structured.
Mavis Tire Express Services
Ownership: Private equity—comprising a group from BayPine, Goldman Sachs’ West Street, and TSG Consumer Partners.
Mavis is the entity acquiring Pep Boys and exemplifies this strategy. If you're from the Northeast, you might know Mavis by name, but it goes by many other familiar brands: NTB, Tire Kingdom, Tuffy, Town Fair Tire, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, and Brakes Plus, in addition to various regional names like Action Gator, Jack Williams, and Dekalb Tire. Last year, Mavis acquired Midas, a significant name on its own. Mavis operates under two flagship names—Mavis Discount Tire and Mavis Tires & Brakes—largely to avoid trademark issues over the term “Discount.” With the addition of Pep Boys and its approximately 800 locations, Mavis emerges as one of the largest service networks in North America.
Driven Brands
Ownership: Publicly traded, but mainly controlled by Roark Capital, a private equity firm with a significant stake in many American franchises.
If Mavis represents the tire and service domain, Driven acts as its counterpart in the areas of oil changes, repairs, and collision services. According to the company's filings, its portfolio comprises Take 5 Oil Change, Meineke, Maaco, CARSTAR, ABRA, Auto Glass Now, and 1-800-Radiator & A/C. This includes quick lube services, muffler shops, body shops, and windshield services, all managed under one business umbrella in Charlotte. This
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The Six Firms That Subtly Control Nearly Every Auto Service Chain in the U.S., Clarified.
Mavis has recently acquired Pep Boys. This acquisition represents another step in the ongoing trend of consolidation that private equity has been pursuing for years, with each new sign marking the progress.