AAP
#Thank you.
We're pretty much done, <UNK>.
We executed that in the third and fourth quarter.
Feel really good about it.
Our stores are getting better service.
Their accuracy it is up.
The fill rates are up.
And primarily, I think you'll recall, that was in the Northeast, so we're done.
Again we're working a little differently than we have in the past, <UNK>.
We're starting with the customer, and we're working back.
And the deployment strategy of when in doubt build a super hub, we're just not doing that anymore because it doesn't necessarily give us what we need to serve the customer better.
So we've rethought the supply chain and the fulfillment process from the customer back, and we're looking at it in the context of what we believe is important for our DIY'ers and what's important for the professional customers, and we're building it out from there.
And again, it's not just about, gee, I got a hub, I've got a super hub, I've got stores.
I have 40 million square feet of fulfillment centers that I'm going to use to get my inventory positioned properly, and I'm going to get it in a place to where I can get it to the customer faster and more accurately and reliably and predictably than before.
So it's a bit of a terminology shift for us.
I appreciate that from your side of the desk.
But we're really excited about that approach, and so are our people.
Well, good question.
First of all, we are really reliant on our suppliers.
They are really partners to us in this journey.
<UNK> can speak to some of the ones that we've forged the strongest partnerships with over the years.
But I can tell you, all of them want to see AAP do well in the marketplace.
I think that's important for them, and it's important for us.
And we want to see them do well.
It's really important that their partnership allows us to really drive our agenda.
We have a wide range of brands in our house with <UNK>'s leadership of WORLDPAC, with our private label at Autopart International, with the many branded players that we have.
They are critical for our success.
So we've been very excited about how engaged they've been as we've built out our journey, and we're going to build on that.
I think there's an opportunity for us to forge even deeper relationships with our supplier partners, and you can count on us to do that going forward.
Sorry.
Segment performed better to what.
Sorry, <UNK>.
Yes, we saw it in both, and it was proportionately similar.
We've had really good success, as <UNK> alluded to, in the professional side, regaining momentum with professional customers, picking up more customers, and also selling more to the customers we have on the professional side.
On DIY, honestly, our team members are really helping us here.
They've always wanted to serve our customers better, and we're now giving them the tools to do that.
We measure our performance there, obviously, in terms of our customer hot line.
We measure it in terms of social media reviews.
I can tell you, our social media reviews in DIY are up by a factor.
Not by percentage terms.
They are up by a factor.
And we're really excited about that because our team members are really putting the customer first and they are caring about them, as are our independent partners.
So when we put the customer first on the professional side, we gain more business, and when we do so on the DIY side, we earn that extra trip, that extra item in the basket.
So we're growing proportionately with the two groups, and both are critical to our long-term success.
Well, I'd like to thank all of you for joining the call.
As we step back and think about 2016, it was a challenging year for Advance.
Our team members experienced just a tremendous amount of change last year, starting with my appointment in April.
But given the level of changes we implemented, I'm very encouraged with the overall progress.
And I'd like to thank all of our team members and all of our independent partners who care for our customers every day out there in the marketplace.
They are putting the first back in customer first.
And it was really their dedicated commitment and focus on the customer in the back half of the year that enabled us to deliver a strong finish and a positive top line that improves share.
So going forward, our overarching focus is clear.
We're going to put the customer first.
We're always going to do that.
And our goals remain clear.
And we plan to accelerate sales growth to above the industry average, and we're going to close the margin gap versus our competition.
So to achieve it, we're evolving the culture of the Company, and one that's excessively focused on the customer, and one with an exceedingly high level of accountability, ownership, and drive for results.
So we're really excited about 2017.
We'll be working with a high level of urgency to deliver on our objectives, and we look forward to updating you again on our progress next quarter, and thanks again for joining our call.
