Pep Boys Manny Moe Jack Of California

If an auto repair shop says it charges $70 an hour for labor, and the job takes one hour, how much is the labor bill? David Verdiner thought the answer should be $70 when he had his car fixed at a Pep Boys -- Manny, Moe & Jack Inc. garage in Los Angeles two years ago. The store had signs stating that its hourly labor rate was $70. But instead, Verdiner claims, he was billed $112 for the labor, even though the job took only 40 minutes. Verdiner paid his bill.

Automotive parts and service chain Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack posted a wider fiscal third-quarter loss Tuesday and said it closed 31 stores, including three in California, and cut its workforce by about 550 employees, or about 3%. Stores in Santa Ana, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria were among those closed. The chain now has 561 stores. For the 13 weeks ended Nov.

Southern Californians might think that the Pep Boys--Manny, Moe & Jack is a Los Angeles institution, born and bred, but the granddaddy of auto parts retailers actually has its roots in Philadelphia. In 1921, four friends named Maurice (Moe) Strauss, Emanuel (Manny) Rosenfeld, Moe Radavitz and W. Graham (Jack) Jackson pooled $200 each to open an auto supply store. Just days from opening, the store still had no name, and the fellows started casting about for one.

* Tenet Healthcare Corp. said it would sell three hospitals in the New Orleans area to Ochsner Health System. Terms were not disclosed. * Pep Boys said Chief Executive Larry Stevenson resigned amid calls by shareholders for his ouster. The Philadelphia-based auto parts retailer named nonexecutive Chairman Bill Leonard interim CEO.

The Los Angeles Urban League's automotive training center in the Crenshaw district has joined in a partnership with Philadelphia-based Pep Boys to provide instruction and employment for 300 people in the next year, officials announced Thursday. The automotive training center was established in 1992 after the Los Angeles riots in a joint venture with Toyota to teach skills that would lead to careers in the automotive industry.

Since the days he raced fellow high school students in a 1946 Plymouth up and down Whittier Boulevard through his East L.A. neighborhood, Mel Gross has lived and breathed Southland's car culture. He's put 46 years into Pep Boys, where he's still the auto supply chain's West Coast maintenance manager. And he's poured his heart into the cult of the Ford Model A. "These things," says the 63-year-old gruff-voiced grandfather of two, "are all I know."

Pep Boys (Manny, Moe & Jack), the auto parts chain, has signed a five-year contract to be title sponsor of the Indy Racing League. The Philadelphia-based company will contribute more than $1 million in prize money annually to the race series operated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first of 11 Pep Boys Indy Racing League events will be run Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

* Tenet Healthcare Corp. said it would sell three hospitals in the New Orleans area to Ochsner Health System. Terms were not disclosed. * Pep Boys said Chief Executive Larry Stevenson resigned amid calls by shareholders for his ouster. The Philadelphia-based auto parts retailer named nonexecutive Chairman Bill Leonard interim CEO.

The City Council won't reconsider a proposal to build a Pep Boys retail store and automotive service facility in the Imperial Rose Shopping Center. More than a dozen residents opposed to the project urged the council this week not to rehear it. Residents who live near the site said the 18,560-square-foot retail and automotive service facility would add noise and traffic and affect their quality of life.

If an auto repair shop says it charges $70 an hour for labor, and the job takes one hour, how much is the labor bill? David Verdiner thought the answer should be $70 when he had his car fixed at a Pep Boys -- Manny, Moe & Jack Inc. garage in Los Angeles two years ago. The store had signs stating that its hourly labor rate was $70. But instead, Verdiner claims, he was billed $112 for the labor, even though the job took only 40 minutes. Verdiner paid his bill.

Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack, one of the largest U.S. retailers of auto parts and service, closed 38 unprofitable stores and eliminated about 1,500 jobs as part of a restructuring plan to cut costs. The closures represent 6.1% of the company's stores and affect 1,200 employees. Two distribution centers were also shut. The Philadelphia-based company cut about 300 more jobs by reducing the number of supervisors and consolidating store-support centers.

Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack Inc., one of the biggest U.S. retailers of auto parts and accessories, said Monday it will offer a service to evaluate used vehicles for customers that plan to sell or buy them. The program will provide certification that a car, truck, van or sport-utility vehicle is mechanically and operationally sound. Pep Boys will check everything from the paint and carpet to engine performance and create a detailed report. The cost for the service will range from $89.99 to $229.

Pep Boys (Manny, Moe & Jack), the auto parts chain, has signed a five-year contract to be title sponsor of the Indy Racing League. The Philadelphia-based company will contribute more than $1 million in prize money annually to the race series operated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first of 11 Pep Boys Indy Racing League events will be run Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

A Pep Boys automotive center finally has been given approval to open in the city under recent City Council action. The company has been trying for years to open shop in La Habra, but its choices of location drew complaints from residents. The company's latest proposal places a shop at 125 W. Imperial Highway, a spot that city officials called ideal for the business. Construction will begin soon, and council members said that once the project is complete, it will improve the area.

The City Council won't reconsider a proposal to build a Pep Boys retail store and automotive service facility in the Imperial Rose Shopping Center. More than a dozen residents opposed to the project urged the council this week not to rehear it. Residents who live near the site said the 18,560-square-foot retail and automotive service facility would add noise and traffic and affect their quality of life.

A Pep Boys automotive center finally has been given approval to open in the city under recent City Council action. The company has been trying for years to open shop in La Habra, but its choices of location drew complaints from residents. The company's latest proposal places a shop at 125 W. Imperial Highway, a spot that city officials called ideal for the business. Construction will begin soon, and council members said that once the project is complete, it will improve the area.

Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack Inc., one of the biggest U.S. retailers of auto parts and accessories, said Monday it will offer a service to evaluate used vehicles for customers that plan to sell or buy them. The program will provide certification that a car, truck, van or sport-utility vehicle is mechanically and operationally sound. Pep Boys will check everything from the paint and carpet to engine performance and create a detailed report. The cost for the service will range from $89.99 to $229.

After more than a dozen residents spoke against a proposed Pep Boys retail and automotive service center in their neighborhood, the City Council this week rejected the project on a 3-2 vote. The council majority agreed with residents who said the center, proposed at Imperial Highway and Rose Drive, would not be compatible with nearby homes. Councilwoman Constance Underhill said that because the Pep Boys "would be right across someone's back fence, I would have to say I oppose it."

Pep Boys has received a proposal from an automobile maker based outside the United States interested in selling new cars at some of the auto parts retailer's stores, a spokesman said. The proposal would be to sell new cars at about 160 Pep Boys stores, said Bill Furtkevic, spokesman for the Philadelphia-based retailer. He declined to say from whom the proposal came. Pep Boys also is in talks with AutoNation USA, the used-car unit of Chicago-based Republic Industries Inc.