Advance Auto Parts Celebrates Grand Re-Opening of Orlando

49 Store Re-Openings and 525 Team Members Reaffirm Company's Commitment to Orlando Community

ROANOKE, Va., March 4 -- Advance Auto Parts, Inc., , a leading retailer of automotive parts and products, announces the Grand Re-opening of its Orlando market, bringing 49 retail stores and 525 Team Members under the newly branded name, "Advance Discount Auto Parts." Advance Auto Parts has invested approximately $4 million to remodel the 49 stores to the new "2010" format, which is currently being rolled out across the Company's chain. The new format features a friendly and logical floor layout with improved product adjacencies, enhanced systems to offer more convenience to customers and high-impact signage underscoring the Company's commitment to "quality parts and products at a value price."

"We believe that our investment in the Orlando market will enable us to take advantage of the community's strong market conditions and growing number of vehicles on the road," said Jim Wade, President, Advance Auto Parts, Inc. "With more than 13.6 million registered light vehicles in Florida and customers spending an estimated $1.3 billion on vehicle repair and maintenance in the state, it is clear that Orlando presents a huge opportunity for us to serve both Do-it-yourself customers and professional installers."

Advance Auto Parts has the largest concentration of aftermarket retail locations in the state with 431 stores, regional offices and a distribution center, that combined employ more than 5,000 Team Members. The grand re- opening of Orlando marks the halfway point of the physical store conversion and re-branding process in Florida after acquiring Discount Auto Parts in November 2001. Since that acquisition, Advance Auto Parts has created over 1,000 jobs in the state and implemented extensive training programs to increase the level of superior customer service.

"Our newly branded 'Advance Discount Auto Parts' stores in Florida are a testament to our commitment to delivering customers what they have come to depend on: conveniently located stores with more availability of quality brand name parts and products and enhanced in-store systems," commented Wade.

Another important investment in the Florida market is Advance Auto Parts' commitment to community service. The Company has been an active participant in the communities it serves in a number of ways. Since 1995, Advance Auto Parts has supported the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Over the past nine years, the Company has raised over $9 million dollars for diabetes research and will continue its support in 2004 by selling JDRF "sneakers" in every store. During the past year, the Company also has made donations to such Florida organizations as the Children's Miracle Network, Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, the March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon, and Lakeland's children's museum "Exploration V," among others.

In addition to the Company's charitable support, Advance Auto Parts is committed to community recycling. Each store is equipped to accept used motor oil and batteries for recycling at no charge to our customers. In Florida, the Company has partnered with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to communicate the importance of battery and motor oil recycling.

Advance Auto Parts is a Fortune 500 company that generated sales of $3.5 billion in 2003. As the second largest retailer of automotive parts and products in the United States, Advance Auto Parts serves both the Do-it- yourself and professional installer markets.