fogger-ga:
As far as I am concerned, it was a sad day when Wrenchead.com
announced their strategic partnership with NAPA in April, 2001. Here
is a copy of the letter they e-mailed all of their members (including
me) at the time, from the Google Cache:
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:5bYaAq4UaPcJ:autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/alfa75/message/4410
Here is some of the press coverage when Wrenchead.com made the announcement:
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http://www.americanracefan.com/April01D.htm
"Sponsor News -- Wrenchead is pleased to announce a strategic
e-commerce alliance with www.NAPAonline.com. Under the alliance,
NAPAonline.com will become the exclusive merchandise fulfillment
source for visitors to the www.wrenchead.com site. Wrenchead customers
will now have the option to purchase over 250,000 automotive
replacement, performance parts, and accessories through the NAPAonline
systems or alternatively at a convenient NAPA AUTO PARTS store."
-------------------------
http://www.carsound.com/news/archives/4_20_101_1.shtml
"NAPAonline.com and Wrenchead, Inc. Announce Strategic E-Commerce Alliance
Wrenchead, Inc., the leader in e-commerce technology for the
automotive aftermarket industry, has announced a partnership with NAPA
AUTO PARTS, the industry's leading distributor of aftermarket
automotive parts. Under the Agreement, NAPAonline.com will become the
exclusive online fulfillment partner for www.Wrenchead.com's
customers.
Marking a milestone in online shopping, the NAPAonline and Wrenchead
alliance will maximize operating efficiencies and provide additional
benefits to consumers. This new structure combines the strengths of
two leading brands - one that offers brick and mortar shopping, and
the other focused exclusively on e-commerce - to create a superior
shopping experience for the auto enthusiast. About NAPA AUTO PARTS
NAPA AUTO PARTS is the world's largest distributor of aftermarket
automotive parts, accessories and tools and equipment offered through
more than 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS stores and more than 10,000 NAPA
AutoCare Centers.
About Wrenchead, Inc. Wrenchead is a leading provider of enabling
software solutions for the automotive aftermarket industry. The
company owns one of the largest AAIA-compatible Electronic Parts
Catalogs for the automotive aftermarket industry. Wrenchead's investor
group includes Polaris Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs & Co., The
Canopy Group Inc, WIT Capital, and CBS."
-------------------------
http://www.collision-insight.com/news/20010418-napa.htm
"NAPA AUTO PARTS Becomes Exclusive Business-to-Consumer Fulfillment
Partner for Wrenchead.com
ATLANTA -- NAPA AUTO PARTS has announced an agreement for its
NAPAonline.com online shopping service to become the exclusive
provider of auto parts and accessories sold to consumers through
Wrenchead.com .
Starting in the second quarter of this year, consumers visiting
Wrenchead.com will be linked directly to NAPAonline.com where they
will have access to NAPA's large ready-to-ship aftermarket inventory
of over 250,000 parts, accessories, tools and equipment.
NAPAonline.com is NAPA AUTO PARTS' online store offering 24-hour
access to shopping for auto parts, accessories and car maintenance
information. NAPAonline is backed by more than 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS
retail stores, over 10,000 NAPA AutoCare Centers nationwide, and
NAPA's huge inventory of ready-to-ship aftermarket parts.
Wrenchead.com is a provider of e-commerce tools for the automotive
aftermarket sector. The site serves "do-it-yourselfers" as well as
professional technicians with installation, maintenance and repair."
-------------------------
This transition from Wrenchhead.com to NAPAonline.com occurred on
schedule, with the wrenchead.com>napaonline.com redirection taking
affect in May 2001 based on my own recollection.
Interestingly, if you go to the current websites of Wrenchead.com
(they are still in business selling hosted electronic parts catalog
applications which are considered among the best in the industry) and
General Parts Corporation (the parent of NAPA), you will not find any
mention of this partnership any more. In fact, the GPC website
(http://www.genpt.com/investors/press/index.shtml ) has a distinct
lack of press releases for the year 2001, as that was not a good year
for the company.
The current Wrenchead.com website continues to be an information and
entry portal for their electronic catalog products. It is still the
same company, just a pale shadow of their former,
dot-com-glory-year-days, self.
I hope this helps,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
