Company History
 
Strauss Discount Auto was founded in 1919 by two friends named Herman Schlenger and Harry Roth.  
Their first store, located on a street corner in Newark New Jersey, was originally known as 
Roth & Schlenger Home and Auto Supplies. Due to the financial success of the company, Roth & Schlenger 
Home and Auto Supplies (R&S) continued to expand by opening retail stores throughout the northern 
New Jersey region. In 1954, R&S Home and Auto opened its first superstore, a one of kind store 
within its time. This was the first store to include a service garage and repair facility as 
well as the amenity of customer parking. 

In 1983 R&S merged with a New York Company known as Strauss Stores.  Strauss Stores was founded in 1929 
by Isaac (Izzy) Strauss with the opening of five stores and a warehouse in Brooklyn. With the acquiring 
of the Strauss Stores the company was renamed R&S Strauss, creating the largest retailer in the Northeast, 
consolidating about 70 stores.

In 1987 the company expanded even further with the acquisition of the Penn-Jersey Auto Parts chain of 
stores located in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. A year later, Herman Schlenger was ready to retire, 
and sold the company to Ward White, a British holding company that owned auto parts store in England. 
Six months later, Merril Lynch Capital Partners obtained the assets, and renamed the company WSR (
Whitlock-Strauss-Rose) Group.

In 1995 the management team officially changed the company name to Strauss Discount Auto.  

In 1998, WSR was sold to private investors. In February 2000, another investor purchased the assets of Strauss.

In 2001, Strauss Discount Auto acquired the Dean Tire Stores located in the Wayne and East Hanover areas of 
New Jersey. With the purchase of the Dean Stores, we included another category of products to offer our customers.  
These locations have retail space, do service and repair, and also pump gasoline.

On May 2, 2007, Autobacs Seven Co. Ltd., a world leader in the automotive aftermarket acquired Strauss Discount Auto.

Autobacs was established in 1948 as a wholesale and retail center for automotive parts.  In 1974 Autobacs opened 
their first“one-stop” specialty store for automotive goods and services in Osaka Japan. Since its founding, Autobacs 
has been committed to the idea of communicating to her customers the joy of cars. The notion that cars are more 
than transportation is a fundamental component to the foundation of the Autobacs character. Even the name Autobacs 
has it origin in the essential structure of its core 
beliefs.

A = Appeal
U = Unique
T = Tire
O = Oil
B = Battery
A = Accessories
C = Car Audio
S = Service

With stores located in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, France, France, and the United States, the company 
is positioned for further growth in this exciting industry.

At Autobacs Strauss, our associates are afforded the highest level of respect, recognition, and opportunity 
for the realization of their personal and professional goals.  Without our associates, we could not provide 
our customers with the best customer service in the automotive aftermarket industry.  We believe the success 
of the company lies in our ability to provide quality and value in the goods and services offered to all our 
customers.  Productivity and profit depend on creating a sense of community in the workplace as much as they 
do on technical and effective organizational skills. 

Autobacs Strauss believes that through consistent execution of our company principles, which includes teamwork, 
we will achieve a level of excellence that produces growth and prosperity.  Autobacs Strauss is committed to 
an atmosphere of open and honest communication.  All associates are encouraged to ask questions, talk with 
associates in other stores and departments, and offer creative suggestions to help build our business.

Autobacs Strauss is an integral part of the communities we serve.  We are the neighborhood store for auto 
parts and service. Being part of the community is a key ingredient for our continued success.  Autobacs 
Strauss hires associates from the local neighborhoods, and take pride in the role we play as good citizens.  

Autobacs Strauss Stores dba Strauss Discount Auto can be found in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and 
Bethlehem Pennsylvania.