Big Expansion Plans at Another New Car Toys

Under the name CTX, 12 of the original Car Toys stores in Texas were purchased by two former Car Toys managers who have major plans to keep expanding.

CTX obtained the license to the Car Toys trademark in 15 states, including New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Hawaii.  It expects to open stores in many of these states.

“We intend to build a Car Toys empire in the South,” said Chris Pritts, Co-Owner and VP of CTX and a former employee at the original Car Toys, which closed its doors September 30, selling off most of its 47 stores.

“The real plan is to stabilize a repeatable, scalable operating model in Texas first, then expand thoughtfully into other parts of Texas and beyond as performance supports it. That is also why we pushed hard to secure the 15-state territory in the agreement,” he said.

Pritts, along with Co-Owner and President of CTX, Troy Parcels, believes the market can support a large chain.  It didn’t work, in the end, for Car Toys due to the 2022 shutdown of its sister company, Wireless Advocates, which ran cellphone kiosks in Costco, said Parcels. When the contract with Costco ended, it left Car Toys with a large corporate structure that the stores couldn’t support, he said.

Pritts was the National Installation Manager for Car Toys’ 48 stores at that time, and then Human Resources Business Partner. Parcels started at Car Toys in 1997 as an installer, and worked up to Install Manager, then Store Manager and then a Regional Manager in Oregon. At one point, he headed up window tint nationally, and eventually, he replaced Pritts as National Installl & Tint Manager  when Pritts went over to HR.

Parcels was approached by Car Toys to buy stores and teamed up with Pritts to form the CTX Operating Company. They now have over 100 employees with 8 Dallas/Ft. Worth Car Toys and 4 Houston shops.  One of their first moves was to re-up with the JL Audio brand. Other brands carried include Kicker, Pioneer, Alpine, Focal, Firstech, VOXX, Linkswell and AudioControl.  They are in talks to stock other brands as well.

Car Toys’ earlier policy of bringing installers out on the floor as salesmen was swiftly reversed. Installers now support the sale as they did in years past.  On the sales floor are a General Manager, Assistant Store Manager and a Sales Lead.  They’ve also added a Regional Install Manager position to handle all 12 locations and are in the process of hiring for that position.  The company also recently added Regional Tint/Film Managers, Daniel Hernandez and Chris Hancock.

The company is implementing some new ideas.  One is a “truck room” with truck sub enclosures and actual dashboard centers on the wall with large aftermarket replacement radios so a customer can see their dash with an upgraded radio.

Overall, the new company is “run by two former installers.  We came up through the bay and …we’ve done just about every position in the company,” said Pritts.  With the well-recognized  Car Toys name, CTX wants to make use of its appeal and broaden it, they said. “We want everyone from moms and dads to children running around the stores.  If I have to put in a play area in the back of the stores, I will,” said Parcels.

Since the sale, Parcels said October was about making changes and November is already showing per store growth over last year.

Related story: Meet the New Uber Large Car Audio Chain