Princess Auto Ltd. is a Canadianretail chain specializing in farm, industrial, garage, hydraulics and surplus items. The business was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1942, by Harvey Tallman, who bought the auto wrecking business and expanded into war surplus, then later, tools and equipment.
Overview
Princess Auto is a Canadian retailer with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As of November 2019, the company owns and operates 48 stores in ten provinces, three distribution centres, one DC in Winnipeg, one DC in Calgary, and one DC in Milton, Ontario. In 2015 a manufacturing division in Winnipeg was closed. Princess Auto also offers online sales, a National Call Centre, and mail order service. Various items are sold under its "Powerfist" and "Pro.Point" brands. Princess Auto sells many brand name tools, however, Powerfist tools tend to be lower-cost tools when compared to mid price professional brands such as Pro.Point, UltraPro, Craftsman, or Westward.
History
The Beginning: In 1942, Harvey Tallman acquired a small-time auto wrecker in the heart of Winnipeg with the money he made selling his truck. In the early days of Princess Auto Wrecking, Harvey source auto parts that he could sell to his customers at a better value than his competitors. From the very beginning, Harvey demonstrated a willingness to search for good products and offer them to his customers at an incredible value. The 1950s Harvey was aware that he needed help running the business, and hired quality people, to work both behind the counter and in the warehouse, ultimately contributing to the company’s continued growth. The company made a decision to start sourcing items for farm and industrial use from the US. Harvey found fields of decommissioned airplanes in the States and had people working with him that had the technical knowledge to convert these items into products like custom air compressors. The 1960s The company continued to sell through mail order catalogue and the parts counter while focusing on delivering exceptional customer service and products that were unique and fun. Harvey started hearing about huge amounts of surplus overseas and soon found himself at army bases all over Japan buying surplus by the crate. Of the extensive list of products to come out of these trips, KYB jacks were among the customer favourites of which Harvey managed to become the exclusive North American distributor. The 1970s Princess Auto and Machinery continued to grow, expanding into hydraulics made by their manufacturing division, Shur-lift Industries. Merchandising teams looked towards the surplus shows in Las Vegas to continue to bring in unique and strange products when war surplus began to dwindle. A mail strike signaled to Harvey and his sons, Bob and Larry, that the future of the company would be as a retail destination. The first Princess Auto retail location opened in Edmonton. The 1980s The 80s represented a huge leap for Princess Auto. 10 new retail stores opened and Powerfist, the first house brand was introduced. The 80s also showed how new owners Bob and Larry, believed in a welcoming company culture. The term “employee” had changed to Team Member; and “Managers” were renamed Leaders, stoking the fires of ownership, leadership and integrity within the company. Royal Service was a concept that not only dictated, “No sale is final until the customer is completely satisfied”, but also described how the company expected Team Members to treat each other. As sales improved post-recession, Bob and Larry revealed that a portion of Princess Auto’s profits were to be given back to all Team Members. Profit sharing lives on in the business today and continues to reward team members for their dedication. The 1990s Retail expansion continued throughout the 90s, with 5 new stores added across the country. Princess Auto also diversified their offerings, adding new categories like workshop and garage, truck and trailer, air tools and metal fabrication. In this decade, Bob and the leadership team developed a new program aimed at celebrating diversity, as well as a deferred profit sharing plan that supported Team Members in their retirement. The 2000s In the 2000s, the “Unique World” of Princess Auto officially took shape. The new tagline made it clear that everyone at Princess Auto believed in the spirit of being unique and fun. The buyers couldn’t wait to bring in even more cool products, growing the scope of PA’s unusual product mix. The company introduced an E-Commerce store, allowing customers to connect with Princess Auto in a whole new way. With success came responsibility, and emphasis was soon placed on giving back to the community through the support of trades education. The decade closed with a network of 32 physical stores locations, each full of team members eager to deliver Royal Service. The 2010s The spirit of the decade has been about trying new things, continuing to build relationships, and telling stories that celebrate the history of the company. Ownership of the entire business, including 48 stores across the country, has officially been passed on to Bob’s sons Matt and Marc. E-commerce growth, a new distribution network, and new inventory management systems have helped put products in customer’s hands faster, enhancing their experience with Princess Auto along every step of their journey.
Stores
As of February 2020, Princess Auto has a total of 48 stores, now located in every province after opening its first Quebec store in St-Jérome, on Sept 17, 2019. For the Quebec stores, the tagline on the storefront is "Des idées. Des outils.". French has been added to the website, and the entire catalog has also been translated and printed in french.
