Am-Pac is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Itochu Corp. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Both Am-Pac and ATD are member distributors of American Car Care Centers; it is not know what this deal will mean to the structure of the 1,100-dealer marketing group. ATD became an ACCC member distributor in September 2004 with its purchase of then ACCC member Target Tire.

Am-Pac also runs its own Tire Pros associate dealer program, which has approximately 300 member dealers. Some 90 of those member dealers are affiliated wholesalers for Am-Pac.

The deal gives ATD some 100 distributor centers across 36 states, adding to its already vast distribution empire.

“By combining the resources of these two organizations, American Tire Distributors will be better positioned to service our customers,” said Dick Johnson, ATD chairman and CEO. “We will have an unmatched breadth and depth of product, a strong offering of dealer marketing programs, and a distribution network that is without equal in our industry. All of these attributes will make us a better distribution partner for our dealers.” (Tire Review/Akron)