the following table sets forth information concerning increases in the total number of our aap stores during the past five years : beginning stores new stores ( 1 ) stores closed ending stores ( 1 ) does not include stores that opened as relocations of previously existing stores within the same general market area or substantial renovations of stores . our store-based information systems , which are designed to improve the efficiency of our operations and enhance customer service , are comprised of a proprietary pos system and electronic parts catalog , or epc , system . information maintained by our pos system is used to formulate pricing , marketing and merchandising strategies and to replenish inventory accurately and rapidly . our pos system is fully integrated with our epc system and enables our store team members to assist our customers in their parts selection and ordering based on the year , make , model and engine type of their vehicles . our centrally-based epc data management system enables us to reduce the time needed to ( i ) exchange data with our vendors and ( ii ) catalog and deliver updated , accurate parts information . our epc system also contains enhanced search engines and user-friendly navigation tools that enhance our team members' ability to look up any needed parts as well as additional products the customer needs to complete an automotive repair project . if a hard-to-find part or accessory is not available at one of our stores , the epc system can determine whether the part is carried and in-stock through our hub or pdq ae networks or can be ordered directly from one of our vendors . available parts and accessories are then ordered electronically from another store , hub , pdq ae or directly from the vendor with immediate confirmation of price , availability and estimated delivery time . we also support our store operations with additional proprietary systems and customer driven labor scheduling capabilities . our store-level inventory management system provides real-time inventory tracking at the store level . with the store-level system , store team members can check the quantity of on-hand inventory for any sku , adjust stock levels for select items for store specific events , automatically process returns and defective merchandise , designate skus for cycle counts and track merchandise transfers . our stores use radio frequency hand-held devices to help ensure the accuracy of our inventory . our standard operating procedure , or sop , system is a web-based , electronic data management system that provides our team members with instant access to any of our standard operating procedures through a comprehensive on-line search function . all of these systems are tightly integrated and provide real-time , comprehensive information to store personnel , resulting in improved customer service levels , team member productivity and in-stock availability . purchasing for virtually all of the merchandise for our stores is handled by our merchandise teams located in three primary locations : 2022 store support center in roanoke , virginia ; 2022 regional office in minneapolis , minnesota ; and 2022 global sourcing office in taipei , taiwan . our roanoke team is primarily responsible for the parts categories and our minnesota team is primarily responsible for accessories , oil and chemicals . our global sourcing team works closely with both teams . in fiscal 2011 , we purchased merchandise from approximately 500 vendors , with no single vendor accounting for more than 9% ( 9 % ) of purchases . our purchasing strategy involves negotiating agreements with most of our vendors to purchase merchandise over a specified period of time along with other terms , including pricing , payment terms and volume . the merchandising team has developed strong vendor relationships in the industry and , in a collaborative effort with our vendor partners , utilizes a category management process where we manage the mix of our product offerings to meet customer demand . we believe this process , which develops a customer-focused business plan for each merchandise category , and our global sourcing operation are critical to improving comparable store sales , gross margin and inventory productivity. .
what was the percentage increase in stores from 2007 to 2011?
the following table sets forth information concerning increases in the total number of our aap stores during the past five years : beginning stores new stores ( 1 ) stores closed ending stores ( 1 ) does not include stores that opened as relocations of previously existing stores within the same general market area or substantial renovations of stores . our store-based information systems , which are designed to improve the efficiency of our operations and enhance customer service , are comprised of a proprietary pos system and electronic parts catalog , or epc , system . information maintained by our pos system is used to formulate pricing , marketing and merchandising strategies and to replenish inventory accurately and rapidly . our pos system is fully integrated with our epc system and enables our store team members to assist our customers in their parts selection and ordering based on the year , make , model and engine type of their vehicles . our centrally-based epc data management system enables us to reduce the time needed to ( i ) exchange data with our vendors and ( ii ) catalog and deliver updated , accurate parts information . our epc system also contains enhanced search engines and user-friendly navigation tools that enhance our team members' ability to look up any needed parts as well as additional products the customer needs to complete an automotive repair project . if a hard-to-find part or accessory is not available at one of our stores , the epc system can determine whether the part is carried and in-stock through our hub or pdq ae networks or can be ordered directly from one of our vendors . available parts and accessories are then ordered electronically from another store , hub , pdq ae or directly from the vendor with immediate confirmation of price , availability and estimated delivery time . we also support our store operations with additional proprietary systems and customer driven labor scheduling capabilities . our store-level inventory management system provides real-time inventory tracking at the store level . with the store-level system , store team members can check the quantity of on-hand inventory for any sku , adjust stock levels for select items for store specific events , automatically process returns and defective merchandise , designate skus for cycle counts and track merchandise transfers . our stores use radio frequency hand-held devices to help ensure the accuracy of our inventory . our standard operating procedure , or sop , system is a web-based , electronic data management system that provides our team members with instant access to any of our standard operating procedures through a comprehensive on-line search function . all of these systems are tightly integrated and provide real-time , comprehensive information to store personnel , resulting in improved customer service levels , team member productivity and in-stock availability . purchasing for virtually all of the merchandise for our stores is handled by our merchandise teams located in three primary locations : 2022 store support center in roanoke , virginia ; 2022 regional office in minneapolis , minnesota ; and 2022 global sourcing office in taipei , taiwan . our roanoke team is primarily responsible for the parts categories and our minnesota team is primarily responsible for accessories , oil and chemicals . our global sourcing team works closely with both teams . in fiscal 2011 , we purchased merchandise from approximately 500 vendors , with no single vendor accounting for more than 9% ( 9 % ) of purchases . our purchasing strategy involves negotiating agreements with most of our vendors to purchase merchandise over a specified period of time along with other terms , including pricing , payment terms and volume . the merchandising team has developed strong vendor relationships in the industry and , in a collaborative effort with our vendor partners , utilizes a category management process where we manage the mix of our product offerings to meet customer demand . we believe this process , which develops a customer-focused business plan for each merchandise category , and our global sourcing operation are critical to improving comparable store sales , gross margin and inventory productivity. .