The Colonial Group announces the appointment of Stephen Squires, CPA as Vice President for both company divisions – Colonial Auto Parts and APM Limited. 

Stephen is a graduate from Memorial University of Newfoundland and holds two Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce ‐ Cooperative and French and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

Stephen started working with the Colonial Group in July 2022 as Manager – Special Projects where he was involved in the review and assessment of system documentation, policy programs as well as new projects planned for the Colonial Group. 

With the recent retirement of Philip Murphy, the Colonial Group’s Vice President, Stephen will assume much of the duties previously handled by Philip.  Stephen joins the Colonial Group Executive Management team and will operate out of the St. John’s head office.

The Colonial Group is a family owned and operated business, who will be celebrating their 100^th anniversary in 2026, and has grown to become the largest privately owned aftermarket auto parts supplier in Atlantic Canada, with twenty locations in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Stephen is the great‐grandson of the founder of Colonial Garage and is the fourth generation to provide management and leadership to the Company.

The Colonial Group’s reputation in the market is achieved by the hard work and dedication of its over 150 employees focused on delivering outstanding customer service and support.

The Colonial Group is known for its exceptional employee knowledge, customer service, and always having what you need when you need it.

The Colonial Group has many long-term employees, some with 35-45 years’ experience, who are now educating a new generation of parts professionals to meet the needs of customers now and into the future.

ABOUT THE COLONIAL GROUP

The Colonial Group operates under the trade names of Colonial Auto Parts, A.P.M. Limited, C.B. Auto Supplies and Sydney Auto Parts.

Founded in 1926 by Gordon Elton as a service and gas station, Colonial Garage & Distributors Limited expanded to importing parts from Canada to meet the growing needs of the Newfoundland motoring public. In the 1950’s, Gordon’s two sons, Doug and Bill Elton, took over daily operations and began a process of expansion into industrial services and auto parts branch locations.

The Colonial Group remains a family business to this day, with ownership held by family members Susan Elton Squires, Gillian Elton, and Douglas Squires.  The Executive Management team is comprised of President Douglas Squires, CPA; Chief Financial Officer Susan Elton Squires, CPA and Vice President Stephen Squires, CPA.