Warren MacArthur, 1937-2015

#aftermarket – Aftermarket industry veteran Warren MacArthur passed away peacefully in London, Ontario on April 11, 2015. He was 78.

Starting in the automotive industry in 1957, Warren MacArthur was a career automotive professional. He started as a parts delivery driver and within one year had moved on and began to pay his dues on the counter. In 1961, he became store manager at Brampton Auto Supply, where he remained until opening Warren’s Auto Parts with his wife Mary and brother Shelton in 1974. With the help of UAP and many loyal customers, Warren’s Auto Parts became a major player in the growing market of Brampton, Ontario. Warren and Mary owned Warren’s Auto Parts until 1986, when they decided to try new opportunities and sold the store to UAP corporate.

Over the next three years, his passion for the automotive aftermarket kept pulling at him, and he opened Warren’s Supplies and Equipment, under the McKerlie Millen Banner, in May of 1989. Again, with the help of McKerlie Millen and many of those same loyal customers, Warren’s Supplies and Equipment became a very strong player in the automotive market in Brampton.  In 1996, Warren and Mary sold the store to Carquest, and they began the next chapter of their life which included a lot of travel, golf, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Warren retired in London, Ontario.

Warren’s success in the automotive aftermarket came from his drive and passion for the auto parts business. After retirement, he maintained many close friendships with people he met in the business, and one of his favourite topics of conversation remained auto parts and the trends in today’s market. Warren returned to Brampton many times, under the guise of personal business but more often than not he spent most of his time visiting old customers and friends to discuss the business that he loved and missed.

Warren is survived by his wife Mary and their two children, Greg and Jackie (both with PartSource), as well as four grandchildren.