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AutoZone boosts its logistics network in the Bajío region. 29.09.2026 AutoZone has laid the cornerstone for its new Distribution Center (CEDIS) at the León-Bajío Industrial Platform (PILBA), a project that involves an investment of US$183 million and aims to strengthen the company's logistics operations and supply capacity for the Bajío and western Mexico. The new complex will occupy a site measuring 194,832 square meters and will create approximately 600 jobs, which will be added to the nearly 500 employees that AutoZone currently has in Guanajuato. The expansion marks a new milestone in Autozone's presence in the state, where it currently operates 55 stores. During the project announcement, Domingo Hurtado, AutoZone's senior vice president of international operations, emphasized the importance of having the right conditions in place to make an investment. The new CEDIS will support the development of the company's distribution network and supply capacity in a region that is strategic to its operations. The project will be located at PILBA, a complex that currently houses the operations of companies such as Amazon and Mercado Libre. According to the information, the platform has its own electrical substation, a natural gas supply, a water treatment plant, fiber-optic connectivity, and multimodal access points. It also offers access to Federal Highway 45, the Guanajuato International Airport, and the main industrial corridors of the Bajío region. León's location provides access to Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí in approximately two hours. For the municipality, the arrival of the new distribution center is part of the growth of the logistics sector in León. Mayor Ale Gutiérrez noted that the project demonstrates companies' confidence in the city and highlighted the municipal government's role in facilitating new investments. On behalf of the Guanajuato state government, Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo reported that the project includes elements such as infrastructure, technology, talent, and a strategic location to strengthen regional logistics development. With this investment, AutoZone will expand its infrastructure in León and, from the Bajío region, strengthen its capacity to distribute and supply products to different regions of the country.

Worker firing the latest chapter in AutoZone's relentless union-busting campaign. 6-4 vote forms first-in-the-nation union in White Plains. Nathan DuCongé (right) was fired from an AutoZone in White Plains days after workers at the location formed the first-ever union at the auto parts service company with a six to four vote to join Local 259 of the United Auto Workers. Courtesy Nathan DuCongé Posted Tuesday, September 29, 2026 10:14 am BY HARPER FREEMAN It was not a shock to Nathan DuCongé when one of his bosses at AutoZone told him he was being fired. "AutoZone is terminating your employment as a result of your failure to act appropriately as a manager by engaging in and or facilitating union activity," a regional manager named Tammy Hamilton told DuCongé over his protestations that firing him was illegal, according to a recording he provided to The Chief. "Despite repeated instruction not to advocate for the union you continued to participate and or facilitate union activity at the store." DuCongé's dismissal came one day after the historic organizing drive he began in April finally bore fruit with a six to four election victory in favor of unionizing with United Auto Workers Local 259, forming the nation's first-ever union at an AutoZone. But DuCongé, a parts equipment manager at the White Plains AutoZone and the union's principal organizer, was blocked by AutoZone management from voting in the election. The company insisted DuCongé was a supervisor and had threatened the union with a monthslong court dispute. DuCongé and the union, seeking a speedy election, refiled the unionization petition without DuCongé in the unit but with two new workers that management had transferred into the store with the specific goal of disrupting and voting against the union, workers said. The tactic was just one of many of what DuCongé called "classic-union busting stuff" that management employed when they caught wind of the union effort in July. 17 managers brought in to bust union. The tactics included repeated captive audience meetings, constant surveillance, threats of discipline for supporting the union and more. AutoZone dispatched 17 managers to the White Plains locations from Memphis (where AutoZone is headquartered), Indiana, California, Florida and elsewhere in a bid to stop the union and keep watch over workers' conversations. "AutoZone was trying to do everything possible to destroy us, to destroy our union," DuCongé said on Monday. "It was a show of force. To intimidate us to make sure we don't even think about talking about the union." Despite his title, DuCongé insisted he was not a manager and did not have firing, hiring or disciplining power. In total, AutoZone spent over $200,000 paying managers and attorneys to engage in the union busting campaign according to an estimate from Labor Lab, a workers' rights non-profit watchdog that estimates employers' anti-union costs. Days after AutoZone fired DuCongé, management fired a supervisor at the store for failing to stop the union, he said. A spokesperson for the company did not respond to a request for comment on the outcome of the vote or firing of DuCongé. AutoZone has more than 6,800 retail stores in the United States and employs more than 111,000 people. "Management hired all the possible anti union consultants and spent a boatload of money to defeat them," UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla said in a social media post after the AutoZone vote. "But the workers made it clear that you can't beat good organizing." An AutoZone location in Brooklyn. The company brought in 17 managers to disrupt the nascent union effort at a White Plains location, spending over $200,000 on the anti-union campaign according to a worker organizing watchdog. Harper Freeman/ The Chief EWOC connection. Michael DiGiuseppe, the vice president of Local 259 who originally reached out to DuConge and helped organize the workers, said that management was going on a "hatchet spree" of firings as a result of the vote. DiGiuseppe and DuCongé were connected by a UAW member that DuCongé met at a training put on by the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. EWOC is a worker organizing project aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America formed in 2020 that has been at genesis of numerous retail and restaurant worker union campaigns in the city and across the U.S. DuCongé said he didn't go into the EWOC training with the plan of unionizing his workplace but was convinced by the UAW member and others at the training to do so. He said he's read works by several other union organizers including those at Amazon and Starbucks that inspired DuCongé to take action. He felt that his tight-knit store would be the perfect incubator for the nation's first-ever AutoZone union but knew from his readings that management would crack down hard. "I knew that the second I took that first step that there's no going back," he said. "That was when I took that leap of faith and just started organizing from there. We didn't know it was going to be possible but here we are." 'The company is insane' DiGiuseppe told The Chief that in the days leading up to the Sept. 25 vote he was unsure what the outcome would be and feared it would ultimately be a five-to-five tie, handing the union a loss in heartbreaking fashion as what happened to workers at a Trader Joe's in a lower Manhattan in in 2023. "Of course I'm surprised," he said of the result. "The psychological warfare that these workers had to go through... It was a constant pressure cooker." A seasoned organizer who has helped foment union campaigns at other service centers in New York City and the surrounding area, DiGiuseppe said the union busting campaign at AutoZone was unlike anything he had experienced before. "This company is insane. They treated this like it was the end of the world," he said. "I've never seen anything like it." Despite the rabid union busting and his dismissal, DuCongé is hopeful the small union can grow into a larger wave at the company. "Anybody who's interested in forming a union at their AutoZone, we want anybody interested in that to reach out to us," he said. "Their union busting certainly works, but not well enough." Other items that may interest you

AZO stock gets A target reduction from JPMorgan - but analyst believes it's good time to add to positions at current levels. Published: Sep 28 2026, 11:25 PM IST * FB * TW * Linkdin * Whatsapp * GNFollow Us JPMorgan sees AutoZone's valuation as attractive at current levels as estimates are being "right-sized," according to a note cited by The Fly. * JPMorgan attributed AutoZone's recent 15% decline to lower same-store-sales estimates and tougher inflation comparisons ahead, according to TheFly. * Truist and Raymond James also lowered their price targets following the results, while maintaining 'Buy' and 'Strong Buy' ratings, respectively. * Koyfin data shows 23 of 27 analysts rate AZO 'Buy' or 'Strong Buy'. AutoZone (AZO) shares remained in focus Monday after JPMorgan lowered its price target to $3,700 from $3,850 while maintaining an 'Overweight' rating on the stock, TheFly reported. AZO shares traded over 0.6% higher at the time of writing on Monday. Analyst Christopher Horvers said the firm sees an attractive valuation at current share levels as estimates are being "right-sized," according to the note published by The Fly. According to The Fly, Horvers said AutoZone shares are down 15% following reductions to same-store sales estimates and a derating tied to tougher inflation comparisons ahead. JPMorgan believes the current levels are a "good time to add" to positions, according to the report published by TheFly. AutoZone's Q4 highlights. AutoZone reported fiscal fourth-quarter net sales of $6.59 billion, up 5.6% year over year. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased to $56.05 from $48.71 a year earlier. AutoZone said sales strengthened over the last eight weeks of the quarter. Total-company same-store sales increased 2.7%, while domestic same-store sales rose 1.6%. On a constant-currency basis, total-company same-store sales increased 1.5%. AutoZone opened 175 stores during the fourth quarter (Q4), including 97 in the U.S., 68 in Mexico and 10 in Brazil. The additions included 16 new U.S. Mega Hub stores, bringing fiscal 2026 store openings to 374. The company also repurchased $697.5 million of stock during the quarter and ended fiscal 2026 with $1.6 billion remaining under its current share repurchase authorization. Analysts adjust targets after Q4. Truist lowered its price target to $3,648 from $3,817 while maintaining a 'Buy' rating following the Q4 results. According to TheFly, the firm said investors were already prepared for softer domestic comparable sales, while noting that the exit rate improved in both DIY and Commercial during the final four weeks of the quarter. Raymond James analyst Bobby Griffin lowered his price target to $3,700 from $4,000 while maintaining a 'Strong Buy' rating, The Fly reported. Griffin pointed to accelerating sales into the first quarter (Q1) as supporting a more constructive fiscal 2027 setup. The analyst also highlighted 4% like-for-like inflation, Commercial share gains and the maturation of AutoZone's supply chain and technology investment cycle as potential catalysts. Other firms that lowered their price targets following the Q4 results included DA Davidson, Guggenheim, Mizuho, Roth Capital, BMO Capital and Barclays, according to TheFly. According to Koyfin data, 23 of the 27 analysts covering AZO rate the stock 'Buy' or 'Strong Buy'. Retail view on Stocktwits. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits stayed 'bullish' on AZO over the past 24 hours, with message volume running 'high.' AZO shares have dropped nearly 17% year-to-date. For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.< Stay updated with all the latest Business News, including market trends, Share Market News, stock updates, taxation, IPOs, banking, finance, real estate, savings, and investments. Track daily Gold Price changes, updates on DA Hike, and the latest developments on the 8th Pay Commission. Get in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and real-time updates to make informed financial decisions. Download the Asianet News Official App from the Android Play Store and iPhone App Store to stay ahead in business. 0 Comments / 0 New