NAPA to open store in Princeton

PRINCETON — National Automobile Parts Association (NAPA) is planning to locate a store in Princeton this year.

Josh D’Agostino, director of new business development for NAPA. based in Atlanta, Ga., said the auto parts company feels Princeton is a location where a new store will be located this year.

“We feel Princeton is a solid market to put a new NAPA store,” he said.

One of the factors which company officials look at locations to place a store is the number of vehicles registered in the marketplace, which consists of 22,160 vehicles in Princeton, D’Agostino said.

Another factor is how close other NAPA stores are located in relation to the town where a new store is to be located.

The closest NAPA locations to Princeton are in Walnut, Peru, Mendota and Henry, which are all further than a five-mile radius of Princeton, the measurement company officials use to determine the density of NAPA stores.

“We feel there is a hole in our coverage area for Princeton for a NAPA store,” he said. “We feel NAPA has a lot to offer with 6,000 stores in competitive markets like Princeton.”

D’Agostino said company officials want to open 50 new stores a year for the next five years across the country, and Princeton is one of the 50 locations they have identified for 2009.

NAPA employees will come to town in May to talk to potential customers and to look at potential locations. They also would like to talk to people who may want to own a NAPA store. If company officials are unable to find a person wanting to own their own NAPA store in Princeton, they are committed to placing a corporate store in town this year, he added.

“We look forward to becoming a trusted member in the community by providing residents with quality products, exceptional customer service, and reliability for all their auto parts needs,” he said.

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