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.

In October of 2010 SDA Inc. acquired Strauss Auto. Strauss Auto is operating stores in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and 
Bethlehem Pennsylvania.  Strauss Auto will continue to aggressively focus on Service, Tire and Repair segments.  
The SDA Inc. Corporate office is located in South River, NJ.