In the Beginning…
Founders Roy Lord and Ed Coates, the “Lord” and “co” in Lordco Auto Parts, opened the door to their first auto parts location in 1974, in Maple Ridge, British Columbia (BC), Canada, and quickly established a reputation within the community for selling reputable auto parts and for offering exceptional customer service. As their reputation grew within the industry, so did the number of Lordco locations throughout the province.
In 1980, Ed bought Roy’s stake in the business and expanded its presence in BC. Sadly, Ed passed away in 2014. To honour his legacy, Ed’s wife, Marlyn, and children, Samantha, Ian, Sarah, and Candace, founded the Ed Coates Memorial Foundation. His family continues to grow the business according to Ed's values and principles as members of Lordco Auto Part's Executive Leadership Team.
From our humble 900-square-foot beginning, we have grown to become Canada’s biggest privately held automotive parts distributor and Western Canada’s biggest distributor and retailer of aftermarket parts and accessories, with over 90 store locations – including nineteen truck centres, one centralized distribution centre, two regional distribution centres, more than 2,000 employees, a 500-vehicle strong delivery fleet, and hundreds of thousands of part numbers in our system.
In 2023, we celebrate 50 years of serving the automotive industry, auto enthusiasts, and local communities. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Lordco Auto Parts story. You are the reason we continue to do what we do.
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The Road to Growth1970sImage
1974Roy Lord and Ed Coates open the first Lordco Auto Parts in Maple Ridge, BC.
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The Road to Growth1970sImage
1979We add new stores in the Lower Mainland, beginning with a store in Agassiz, BC.
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The Road to Growth1980sImage
1981In need of more space, we move to a larger location in Maple Ridge, BC.
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The Road to Growth1980sImage
1985We open our Port Coquitlam, BC, location, which will be replaced eventually with our flagship store on the Oxford Connector. Expansion in the Lower Mainland continues through to the 1990s with the opening of our Abbotsford, Hope, Aldergrove, and Langley, BC locations.
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The Road to Growth1990sImage
1990The First Annual Lordco Auto Parts Trade Show proves to be a popular event. Over time, the event will become known as the largest automotive trade show in Canada. In the same year as our first trade show, we implement a centralized distribution model and enter the hi-performance auto parts distribution market.
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The Road to Growth1990sImage
1995-1998We expand into BC's Thompson Okanagan and Vancouver Island regions and open the first Lordco Auto Parts superstore in Langley, BC.
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The Road to Growth2000sImage
2001-2005We continue to grow and set up remote warehouses in the Lower Mainland, Prince George, Kelowna, and Parksville, BC.
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The Road to Growth2010sImage
2014To honour the passing of our founder Ed Coates, we establish a charitable foundation in his name. The Ed Coates Memorial Foundation's primary objective is to support automotive education in Western Canada through bursaries, scholarships, and in-kind donations.
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The Road to Growth2010sImage
2018We launch our new, modern retail concept and open our 31,000-square-foot flagship store in Port Coquitlam, BC.
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The Road to Growth2010sImage
2019We move into the province of Alberta and open the doors to a Lordco Auto Parts in Calgary.
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The Road to Growth2020sImage
2020In the spring of 2020, The 30th Annual Lordco Auto Parts Trade show moves online with success. In the fall, we open the doors to our first store on the Sechelt Peninsula.
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The Road to Growth2020sImage
2021We continue our plans for expansion into Alberta and open two stores in Calgary and two stores in Edmonton.
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The Road to Growth2020sImage
2022After 26 years, the Lordco Auto Parts' Edmonds Street store in Burnaby, BC, amalgamates with the much larger Metrotown location nearby.
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The Road to Growth2020sImage
2023Lordco Auto Parts celebrates 50 years in business and continues its expansion into Alberta, opening two more locations, one in Airdrie and one in Red Deer, Alberta.