Pep Boys Retains Outside Counsel To Counter False Information
PHILADELPHIA - The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: "PBY"), the nation's
leading full-service automotive aftermarket chain responds to recent false
representations and statements that have been made in the media regarding the
termination of Erik Balodis, a former employee. There is absolutely no truth
to the claim that Pep Boys terminated Mr. Balodis' employment because of his
military obligations. To the contrary, Mr. Balodis' employment was terminated
due to performance problems, which Pep Boys could no longer ignore.
Pep Boys is proud of its unblemished record of support of its employees who
have served or are currently serving this country in its armed forces. At
present, at least 30 Pep Boys employees have been called to serve the country
in the war with Iraq. Pep Boys stands by its record of support for its
employee servicemen and servicewoman and so do the Company's associates:
a.. Armando Lopez, who manages Pep Boys' Pico store in Los Angeles,
California, worked for Pep Boys since January 24, 1999, was activated October
4, 2001, reported to duty on October 11, 2001 and returned to work on
September 20, 2002. In accordance with Pep Boys' military leave policies, he
was immediately reinstated to his prior position as a store manager. According
to Mr. Lopez, "My district manager gave me a lot of support. It was like I
never left."
b.. John Medina, who has been an assistant manager for Pep Boys for two
years in Houston, has been on various military deployments while serving as a
Marine Corps Reservist for two and a half years. Mr. Medina was also
immediately reinstated to his previous position with Pep Boys upon his return
from active duty. According to Mr. Medina, "During my deployment, my wife was
relocated from Dallas to Houston and Pep Boys restored me to my same position
at a Pep Boys store in Houston."
c.. Desert Storm veteran and Pep Boys Master Technician, Tony DiCicco, who
works at Pep Boys' Glassboro, New Jersey location, has been a Marine Corps
Reservist for seventeen years. He began at Pep Boys seven years ago and has
remained in his current position with Pep Boys throughout various calls to
active duty. According to Mr. DiCicco, "Pep Boys has been extremely supportive
of my military activities."
The aforementioned are but a few of Pep Boys associates who proudly serve the
country while remaining gainfully employed with the Company. Recent false
reports in the media do those associates and Pep Boys a great disservice.
There is no doubt, Pep Boys would never terminate an employee for military
service in support of this nation. Anyone who would accuse the Company of such
conduct would do so only for improvident monetary gain. Pep Boys intends to
hold those in the media who have falsely accused the Company of such a deed
accountable and they will face the legal consequences of such conduct as Pep
Boys has retained the law firm of Sprague & Sprague to defend the good name
that it has built and maintained over the last eighty-two years.
Pep Boys operates 629 stores and over 6,500 service bays in 36 states and
Puerto Rico. Along with its "do-it-yourself" and vehicle repair and
maintenance capabilities, the company also services the commercial auto parts
delivery market and is one of the leading sellers of replacement tires in the
United States. Customers can find the nearest location by calling 1-800-PEP
BOYS or by visiting pepboys.com.
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Notes: Certain statements made herein, including those discussing management's
expectations for future periods, are forward-looking and involve risks and
uncertainties. The Company's actual results may differ materially from the
results discussed in the forward-looking statements due to factors beyond the
control of the Company, including the strength of the national and regional
economies and retail and commercial consumers' ability to spend, the vibrancy
of the various sectors of the market that the Company serves, the weather in
geographical regions with a high concentration of the Company's stores,
competitive pricing, location and number of competitors' stores and product
and labor costs. Further factors that might cause such a difference include,
but are not limited to, the factors described in the Company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission
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