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One of the most popular auto repair and tire shops in America said it will shutter 145 locations across the country by the end of the month. Monro Inc. (Nasdaq: MNRO) announced the move in its fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 results last week. Heres what you need to know about the Monro auto chain closures. What is Monro? Monro, sometimes called Monro Muffler Brake, is one of the largest auto repair shops and tire chains in the country. The company operates 1,260 stores across 32 states, according to its most recent financial filings and website. It also has 48 franchised locations. Monro says it generated approximately $1.2 billion in sales from those stores and works on about five million vehicles a year in the U.S. Founded in 1957, Monro became a publicly traded company in 1991. It is listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker MNRO. In recent years, the company has struggled as consumers have cut back on discretionary auto-related spending in the wake of inflationary costs. As noted by CoStar News, those consumers have reduced their purchases of tires and auto services, which typically have higher margins, thus eating into Monros profits. In March, Monros board decided a change in leadership was necessary. That change saw Monros then-CEO Michael Broderick depart the company, replaced by AlixPartners managing director Peter Fitzsimmons. Upon announcing the companys Q4 2025 resultsthe quarter that ended March 29, 2025Fitzsimmons announced that Monro would be closing 145 underperforming stores. Monros closing stores and closure dates identified In its earnings release, the company said it had conducted a comprehensive store portfolio review that identified 145 underperforming stores for closure. It went on to note that all 145 stores would close by the end of Q1 of 2026, which is Monro’s current quarter and which closes at the end of this month. However, while Monro says it has identified the closing stores, it has not released a list of which locations are closing. It has also not stated which of its store brands will be affected. Reached for comment by Fast Company, a Monro spokesperson said the retailer’s priority at the moment is to ensure that employees impacted by the closures are properly supported. “We have communicated this news directly with our impacted teammates and are deeply grateful to them for their dedication and commitment to the communities we serve,” the spokesperson said. “We are focused on supporting our teams through this transition and growing our business by continuing to deliver a five-star customer experience to our guests around the country.” Monro doesnt operate all of its 1,260 stores under a Monro moniker. It has more than a dozen brands: Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers Tire Barn Warehouse Tire Warehouse Ken Towery’s Tire & Auto Care Allen Tire Company Monro Commercial Solutions Car-X Tire and Auto Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers Tire Choice Auto Service Centers Free Service Tire Company, Inc. Mountain View Tire & Auto Service Skips Tire Lloyds Tire Calabasas Car Care Buds Tires Monro is also not the only large auto-related chain that is reducing its physical footprint. Late last year, Advanced Auto Parts said it would close 700 of its 5,000 stores. Monros Q4 2025 results and stock price For its most recent quarter, Q4 of fiscal 2025, which ended on March 29, Monro reported $295 million in sales. That was down 4.9% from the $310.1 million in sales during the same quarter a year earlier. However, Monro said that 2025s Q4 had six fewer selling days than 2024s Q4, which contributed to the lower sales number. The company said it had a net loss for Q4 2025 of $21.3 million versus a net gain of $3.7 million for the quarter a year earlier. As I reflect on my first eight weeks, Im pleased with our detailed assessment of the business,” Fitzsimmons said in a statement accompanying the results. “We have identified four key areas of focus as opportunities for improvement. Fitzsimmons said he believes the plan will “drive enhanced profitability” while increasing operating income. Since announcing its Q4 2025 results and store closure plans on May 28, MNRO stock has surged more than 23%. However, the stock is down more than 37% year to date. Over the past 12 months, MNRO shares have fallen 34%.
Category:
E-Commerce
Media company Walt Disney is laying off several hundred employees in film, television and corporate finance, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The layoffs affect multiple teams around the world, including film and TV marketing, TV publicity and casting and development, the source said. Disney and other companies are reshaping their business strategies in response to the migration of cable TV audiences to streaming platforms. In 2023, Disney cut 7,000 jobs as part of an effort to save $5.5 billion in costs. Disney also laid off nearly 6%, or fewer than 200 people, in the ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks in March. The company’s most recent earnings report in May exceeded Wall Street expectations with an unexpected boost from the Disney+ streaming service and strong results from theme parks. Disney shares, which have risen 21% since the earnings report, were down 0.3% at $112.62 on Monday afternoon. Lisa Richwine and Jaspreet Singh, Reuters
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E-Commerce
One provocative assertion I often make when teaching is that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have hearts and those who dont. Students and executives usually chuckle awkwardly at this statement, wondering where I am going. I then share that many leaders look at changing technology and changing markets and realize that a lot of jobs in their companies will inevitably be eliminated within the next few years, and its not hard to predict which jobs will go away. The question is how the executives react to this realization. Leaders who have hearts experience empathy for those currently in jobs that will be disappearing, seeing individual faces and hearing individual names in their minds. Such leaders think of the men and women in their organizations as flesh- and-blood humans. They worry about employees losing jobs that feed their children, keep roofs over their heads, and provide health insurance, not to mention (hopefully) supplying a sense of satisfaction and meaning. Other leaders see the job elimination through a cooler lens, less concerned for those affected. They embrace creative destruction as a fundamental aspect of how capitalistic systems work. Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter wrote about the inevitability that new technologies and advancements will destroy what came before. For instance, there used to be great demand for skilled telegraph operators and folks who could add columns of numbers quickly with just a penciluntil more cost-effective technologies devalued those skills. Leaders with this perspective focus not on the hardships of the unemployed but on the numerous new jobs created by the same forces of change. They believe employees simply must adapt or be left behind, and theres no point in getting upset about iteveryone owns their individual career. They see the latest disruptions as just the continuation of the human experience, going all the way back to our hunter- gatherer ancestors. Still others may only care about job cuts for the sake of cost reduction, never mind the creative part of the destruction. For the purposes of Systems Leadership, it doesnt matter which type of person you are in my (admittedly reductive) shorthand. You need to invest in your people whether you have a heart or not, for at least three major reasons. 1. It’s cheaper and easier to retrain than replace Studies show that it often costs less to reskill a current employee than to recruit, hire, and train a new one. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, finding and training a new employee can cost as much as six to nine months of their salary. For instance, if a worker earns $60,000, the company could end up spending an additional $30,000 to $45,000 to replace them. The Center for American Progress estimates the costs can be even higher, depending on the role. This means reskilling an existing employee is not just the right thing to do, but often the more cost-effective strategy. 2. Investing in people boosts morale and discretionary effort When a company invests in retraining its employees, it sends a powerful message. Imagine the morale boost when employees learn that their company values them enough to send them for specialized training in AI. Now contrast that with hearing that the company is posting external job openings for AI specialists, and layoffs are on the horizon to fund the new hires. The impact on employee enthusiasm and engagement is profound. Continuing education and upskilling are crucial for fostering loyalty, enthusiasm, and a productive workplace culture. 3. Institutional knowledge is an invaluable asset Many leaders prioritize fresh ideas, new talent, and innovation. But systems leaders understand the unique value of institutional knowledgethe insights and perspectives that only come from experience. While hard data often drives decisions, theres immense value in recognizing the importance of those who have navigated the complex challenges of the past. Their insights can be the key to solving future problems. Whether they have hearts or not, leaders must see employees as a resource to be invested in to advance the needs of the company. Systems Leaders take advantage of cost-saving opportunities without treating their people like replaceable cogs in a machine. At the same time, however, they believe fully in holding people accountable to high standards. They would say its a false choice to frame strong management and compassionate management hard heads and soft hearts as opposites. Great leaders aspire to both. Adapted from the book The Systems Leader by Robert E. Siegel. Copyright 2025 by Robert E. Siegel. Published in the United States by Crown Currency, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Category:
E-Commerce
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