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 readBrand
Priya Raman
15 min read
Bridgestone's Q1 Beat: What the Price-Hike Letter Doesn't Say
Bridgestone's Q1 2026 profit beat came from price hikes and premium mix. A distributor's read on what the price-hike letter means for your margin and stock.
Ray Donnelly
10 min read
Tire Brands in 2026: Why the Aging-Fleet Tailwind Is a Sourcing Test
Tire brands in 2026: the 13-year aging fleet is real demand, but labor, tariffs, and fill rate — not market share — decide what to stock.
Priya Raman
10 min read
Yokohama Advan at Velocity Invitational: A Buyer's Margin Read
Yokohama Advan at the Velocity Invitational: a parts buyer reads the UHP margin gap, price-to-score ratio, and the real stocking risks behind the festival.
Priya Raman
10 min read
Tire Brand Equity vs Volume: What a Distributor Should Stock
Brand equity now beats raw tire volume — but only the right tier does. A distributor's read on what to actually stock as the fleet ages and costs rise.
Priya Raman
10 min read
CarParts.com's $8M JC Whitney Pivot Explained
Mark Phillips analyzes how an $8M private placement funds 30,000 mechanical SKUs, shifting JC Whitney from aesthetics to core engine components.
Mark Phillips
6 min read