Mr. Lube Acquisition: Why $235M Buys a Labor Problem
Diversified Royalty's $235M Mr. Lube acquisition trades a royalty check for 187 bays to staff. A technician's read on the real risk: a $60,000/month vacancy.
Ray Donnelly
10 min readRight part, first time.
Fitment, quality tiers and supply-chain insight for repair shops, distributors and fleet buyers — from the KZMALL Auto Parts editorial desk.
Ray Donnelly
10 min read
Don't Compete on Price: A Parts Buyer's Margin Read
Don't compete on price: a parts buyer's margin math on missed calls ($3,000-$8,000/week), the talent squeeze, and what cheapness really costs auto shops.
Priya Raman
10 min read
Aftermarket sales surge on aging vehicle demand
The U.S. light-duty aftermarket will grow 5.2% in 2026. I analyze how aging fleets drive nonwarranty parts demand for B2B buyers.
Dmitry Volkov
14 min read
Yokohama's OTR Plant News Is a Lead-Time Story, Not Capacity
Yokohama's $245M India and Mexico OTR plants don't ship until Q3 2028. Why the lead-time gap, not the capacity number, drives your sourcing.
Ray Donnelly
9 min read
Vehicle aftermarket growth hits 5.2% in 2026
With vehicles over ten years old hitting 50% of the fleet, I break down the 5.2% growth opportunity for distributors.
Priya Raman
13 min read
TGI Adds Hankook: What 300 Buying-Group Members Gain
TGI is now an authorized Hankook distributor. A category strategist on what 300 buying-group members really gain — assortment, turns, and the rebate trap.
Priya Raman
9 min read
Technician Hours: Why Your Shop Bills 4.2 of 8
Independent shops bill 4.2 of 8 paid hours per tech. The fix isn't hiring — it's the order you close the leaks. A bay tech on what actually drains margin.
Ray Donnelly
10 min read
Straightaway Auto Scales Without Buyout Pain
Straightaway adds 18 locations since June 2025 while keeping founders leading daily ops, a shift I see working for long-term margin.
Priya Raman
15 min read
Scorpion AS 4 Stocking Call: Where Pirelli's SUV Tire Fits
Scorpion AS 4 stocking call: where Pirelli's new SUV all-season fits on the price ladder, and the warranty fine print buyers miss.
Priya Raman
11 min read
Plaza Tire Collinsville Opening: A Catalog Test, Not a Real-Estate Win
Plaza Tire's 17th Illinois store opens in Collinsville. Why network expansion is a fitment-data and assortment test, not a real-estate win.
Priya Raman
11 min read
Left Lane Auto Buys Champs Tire: Why the Back Office Decides It
Left Lane Auto bought Champs Tire and kept the name. The real test of this tire-shop roll-up is back-office integration, not store count.
Ray Donnelly
11 min read
Green apprentice plans fix the 65% calibration gap
With 65% of repairs needing calibration, building green apprentices internally beats waiting for perfect hires who often fail exams.
Anna Petrova
12 min read