Beachwalk AutoZone planned. The retailer is the latest addition announced for the St. Johns County community. * By J. Brooks Terry * | 3:22 p.m. March 30, 2026 * | 2 Free Articles Remaining! * Business AutoZone Auto Parts intends to build a 6,816-square-foot store in the Beachwalk master-planned community, according to plans under review in St. Johns County. The auto parts store is the latest proposed addition to the community at County Road 210 and Beacon Lake Parkway, about 2 miles east of Interstate 95. Nevin Engineering Services of St. Augustine is named as the civil engineer. The property is owned by Boca Raton-based PEBB Enterprises through 4th Avenue Partners LLC. The county Development Review Committee is expected to discuss the project April 15 as the first step toward permitting. AutoZone operates more than 7,710 stores globally, according to its website, and is expanding elsewhere in St. Johns County, with another store permitted Feb. 2 in the RiverTown community at a project cost of $1,702,591. That community is near the St. Johns River northwest of Florida 13 and Old County Road 210. Beachwalk, developed by Falcone Group beginning in 2017, includes residential neighborhoods, commercial developments, grocery stores, several restaurants and a 13.92-acre recreational lagoon. Planned projects include a Compass Hotel by Margaritaville and a 6,542-square-foot restaurant that has not been identified.

What's that planned by Sonic on South Houston Levee in Collierville? Memphis Commercial Appeal March 30, 2026, 5:02 a.m. CT AutoZone is planning a new store in Collierville. The Memphis-based chain has proposed constructing a 7,381-square-foot retail auto parts store at 3370 S. Houston Levee Road, according to staff reports from the town. The development would be located on 1.39 acres of property on the east side of South Houston Levee Road, south of Winchester Boulevard within the Winchester/Houston Levee Commercial Center. The AutoZone Auto Parts store would be between the Express Mart Shell Station convenience store and Sonic Drive-In on South Houston Levee Road. AutoZone carries new and remanufactured hard parts, maintenance items and accessories for cars, SUVs and light trucks, as well as provides in-store services such as battery charging, battery testing and check engine light diagnostics. AutoZone - which was founded as Auto Shack in Arkansas in 1979 - has been headquartered in Memphis for more than 30 years, while operating out of its Downtown Memphis Store Support Center at 123 S. Font St. As of February, AutoZone had nearly 7,800 stores in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil. It has an existing Collierville location at 995 W. Poplar Ave. A request for approval of a conditional use permit for the new store on South Houston Levee Road will go in front of the Collierville Planning Commission on April 6. The suburb's Design Review Commission will hold a non-voting work session to provide feedback on the project on April 9. The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen will review the request and make a final decision on the conditional use permit during its April 27 meeting, according to staff reports. Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] or 901-293-1610.

AutoZone sues Pep Boys over liability tied to Puerto Rico deal. An AutoZone store in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. (Credit: AutoZone.com) AutoZone Puerto Rico Inc. has filed a breach of contract lawsuit in federal court against Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack LLC, alleging the company failed to honor a purchase agreement that required it to retain liability for claims tied to its former Puerto Rico operations. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, says the dispute stems from a Dec. 14, 2023, purchase agreement under which AutoZone acquired certain assets related to Pep Boys' automotive retail business in Puerto Rico. Under the agreement, AutoZone bought the commercial and retail automotive parts operations of Pep Boys' local affiliate but did not assume responsibility for liabilities tied to events that occurred before the transaction closed. The contract states AutoZone "shall not assume, and will not pay, discharge, perform or otherwise be liable or responsible for, any Liabilities of Seller... including any Liability to the extent arising out of events occurring prior to the Effective Date," and identifies those obligations as "Excluded Liabilities." The lawsuit centers on a separate case filed in Puerto Rico court by former employee Anamarie Ramírez-Berdecía, who sued Pep Boys in October 2022 alleging wrongful termination, retaliation and disability discrimination. According to the filing, the lawsuit was filed before the asset purchase agreement was executed. Ramírez-Berdecía amended her complaint in April 2025 to add AutoZone as a co-defendant, even though she was never employed by AutoZone and the events described in the case occurred before the agreement took effect, according to the federal complaint. The purchase agreement also states that Pep Boys "shall retain all Liabilities with respect to those employees of the Business who are not Hired Employees," including severance obligations under Puerto Rico law, and that the seller must "defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Buyer... from and against all Losses arising from... any Excluded Liabilities." AutoZone argues the former employee was not hired after the acquisition and therefore falls under the liabilities that Pep Boys agreed to retain. The complaint says the claims in the employee lawsuit are based entirely on alleged actions that occurred while the plaintiff worked for Pep Boys' Puerto Rico affiliate. The filing says AutoZone sent written notice to Pep Boys in June 2025 requesting indemnification for all costs and potential liability tied to the case, but the request was denied. AutoZone claims the refusal violated the agreement and forced the company to defend itself in ongoing litigation, resulting in about $50,000 in attorneys' fees so far. The company says legal costs could exceed $75,000 if the case goes to trial. The amended complaint in the employee case seeks at least $350,000 in back pay and compensatory damages, an equal amount in penalties and severance pay of $29,245.74 under Puerto Rico Act 80-1976. Through the federal lawsuit, AutoZone is asking the court to order Pep Boys to reimburse all legal expenses, cover any judgment or settlement tied to the employee case and pay additional damages resulting from what it describes as a material breach of the purchase agreement. Editor's note: This page's Spanish translation was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. For questions or clarification, refer to the original English version. This content was produced by News is my Business staff members. Send questions, comments, and suggestions to [email protected].