Pep Boys sale to Bridgestone won’t mean retiring Manny, Moe and Jack

A familiar name in auto care in the Philadelphia region for nearly a century will soon be under new ownership.  But the namesakes will remain.

The familiar logo of Manny, Moe and Jack, the three dapper salesmen who started the auto parts company in 1921– and the more than 800 stores and service centers that bear their names  — are being sold to tire company Bridgestone Corp.

But Pep Boys spokesman Brian Zuckerman said Monday the company will remain, for the most part, Pep Boys.

“The Pep Boys name and logo are going to become a part of the Bridgestone family going forward, exactly what stores that relates to is yet to be determined, but the name and the brand will live on,” Zuckerman said.

The Philadelphia-based company has been trying to boost its value since June.  Bridgestone’s $15 a share offer amounts to about $835 million; if all goes well, Zuckerman said, the deal should be completed early next year.

Pep Boys stock shot up more than 20 percent Monday when word came that Bridgestone wanted to buy the Philadelphia-based auto parts and service chain with more than 800 stores and 7,000 services bays nationwide and in Puerto Rico.