ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Monro Muffler Brake Inc. has acquired the Car-X Tire & Auto retail auto service brand—comprising 146 franchised locations in 10 states—and will continue to operate the business as a franchise.
Rochester-based Monro did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition, which it completed in April. Car-X owner Tuffy Associates Corp. did not comment.
The 146 Car-X stores are owned and operated by 32 independent Car-X franchisees, Monro said. Of those, three—Gorrepati Enterprises Inc. in Cincinnati, BREX Inc. in St. Louis, and NONA Inc. in Champaign, Ill.—are ranked among the nation's top 100 tire and auto service retailers by Tire Business.
Monro said it will operate as the Car-X brand franchisor, with Car-X remaining a separate and independent brand and business. At last report, Car-X operated 13 franchise locations as corporate entities.
Rochester-based Monro said it expects the Car-X business to be slightly accretive to earnings per share in fiscal 2016, which runs through the end of March 2016.
The first Car-X Muffler shop opened in Hammond, Ind., in 1971, according to Car-X's website. Toledo, Ohio-based Tuffy Associates acquired the Car-X business in 2002. Monro and Tuffy have done business in the past. In 2012 Monro acquired 17 corporate-owned Tuffy Muffler and Car-X stores in Wisconsin and South Carolina.