In this week’s Market Focus, we cover grand openings, including that of Mister Car Wash; franchise plans; and the expansion of a mobile car care service.
Mister Car Wash celebrates grand opening in Urbandale, Iowa
TUCSON, Ariz. — Mister Car Wash celebrated the grand opening of its new express location in Urbandale, Iowa, Feb. 10-11 by giving away discounted platinum express carwashes, 400 free car care kits and Unlimited Wash Club Memberships to customers, according to a press release.
Construction began last June at the 12035 Hickman Rd. location in Urbandale, the release continued, and was completed on Jan. 19th.
With this latest addition, Mister Car Wash operates a total of seven locations in the Des Moines area, the release noted.
“We are delighted to open our seventh location in the Iowa market,” said Joe Matheny, vice president of operations for Mister Car Wash. “It also happens to be our first new build location in the history of Mister Car Wash,” he added. “With this new location, we look forward to providing even more Des Moines area residents and Unlimited Wash Club members with opportunities to enjoy our signature Mister Car Wash experience.”
Mister Car Wash is committed to investing in communities by partnering with local organizations and giving generously through their fundraising and donation programs, the release stated; for example, in 2017, Mister Car Wash donated over $1,100 in wash passes to local events in Iowa.
Including this new location, Mister Car Wash operates 254 carwashes in 21 states, seven of which are in Iowa, the release concluded.
Tommy’s Express enters 2018 with record-breaking month and commences national expansion
HOLLAND, Mich. — The Tommy’s Express Car Wash franchise is pleased to announce that the corporately owned and operated Tommy’s Express of Grandville, Michigan, has served 41,760 vehicles during the month of January 2018, according to a press release.
The flagship facility opened in 2016, joining an older corporately owned Tommy’s Express Car Wash and Oil Change site in neighboring Grand Rapids, Michigan, the release continued.
The earliest stages of construction on a sister location in neighboring Jenison, Michigan, began this month, and a fourth local franchisee-owned and -operated site is planned for the northern portion of the Grand Rapids market, the release noted.
Grandville, similar to the two upcoming sites, is a Totally Tommy Express model, which exclusively provides exterior carwash service, the release added.
The wash is equipped with a Tommy Transporter Dual Belt Conveyor, Flight Deck Control Console, Hydraulic Detergent and Maintenance PODS and the new Tommy Point of Sale system paired with Wash Club License Plate Readers, the release stated.
These systems and other design features work to reduce staffing requirements, increase belt speed and productivity and provide the highest quality exterior wash, the release mentioned.
Customers praise the Granville site for its affordable membership packages, short wait times, ease of loading, non-claustrophobic wash bay and free vacuum service with floor mat cleaners, which are available during the spring, summer and fall seasons, the release stated.
Tours of the facility are available to interested parties upon request, the release noted; visit Tommys-Express.com/franchise for more information.
According to a separate press release, since 2015, Tommy’s Express Car Wash has been focused on laying the foundation for a new breed of carwash franchise.
This new franchise model would build on nearly 50 years of industry experience, bringing together the high-production carwash technology pioneered by wash developer Tommy Car Wash Systems and the exceptional operations practices and culture refined by Quality Car Wash of Holland, Michigan, the release continued.
This foundation is being swiftly built upon, the release noted; today, Tommy’s Express Car Wash is pleased to announce that as of February 2018, 55 Tommy’s Express franchise locations are under contract around the U.S., with an additional international site planned for Saudi Arabia.
Each site will feature the highly recognizable “Totally Tommy” site model complete with dual towers; curved acrylic roof; multiple pay lanes; Tommy Transporter Dual Belt Conveyors; stainless steel curved arches; and the new, lightweight app-based Tommy Point of Sale system, the release stated.
At full capacity, these facilities will process over 200 vehicles per hour with no manual preparation involved and are designed to function with only two to four employees on-site, the release mentioned.
Unlimited Club Memberships will be available to customers through the Tommy’s Express App, which will in turn access a proprietary License Plate Recognition system for seamless customer admittance at any Tommy’s Express wash gate, the release noted.
According to the Tommy’s Express leadership team, “Our growth in such a small period of time has been thrilling, and we’re extremely excited for the second round of washes to open. Our team has been perfecting this carwash system for years, and we can’t describe how gratifying it is to bring that system in full to our franchise partners and develop a true national scale carwash network. Nothing out there will compare with it.”
Yoshi brings first on-site car maintenance and refueling service to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Minneapolis/St. Paul
SAN FRANCISCO — Yoshi, which provides the most widely used subscription service for on-site car maintenance and refueling, announced today that it is expanding its service to the Tampa/St. Petersburg and Minneapolis/St. Paul twin city areas, according to a press release.
Yoshi delivers gas, oil changes, carwashes and other car maintenance services directly to customers’ cars while they are parked, eliminating the need to stop for gas or track and schedule routine maintenance, the release continued.
Yoshi’s service is a favorite of many daily commuters across the country, the release noted; in addition to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the service is currently operating in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago and Nashville.
Yoshi selected Tampa/St. Petersburg and Minneapolis/St. Paul as expansion cities due to their high proportions of car commuters, the release added.
“Frequent stops at the gas station and service station for fueling and maintenance are a nuisance and an interruption for today’s busy consumers,” said Yoshi CEO Nick Alexander. “Yoshi was designed to help make car owners’ lives easier, delivering on-site refueling and car maintenance to give people back some time in their day. It has proven to [be] very popular in each city we’re in, with double-digit growth each month. We’re looking forward to the same great reception in the Tampa and Minneapolis areas.”
Earlier this month, General Motors Ventures and ExxonMobil led a $13.7M Series A round of funding for Yoshi, the release stated; at the time, Yoshi expressed its intent to accelerate its geographic expansion, with a plan to be in 25 cities by the end of the year.
In Tampa/St. Petersburg, Yoshi is currently offering service in downtown and north St. Petersburg and South Tampa; in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Yoshi is currently offering service to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul in addition to Edina and Woodbury, the release stated.
In both areas, Yoshi plans to expand its coverage quickly, the release added.
Customers can sign up for a free trial month at https://www.startyoshi.com and also receive a $10 credit with codes MINIAPPLE for Minneapolis area customers and BIGGUAVA for Tampa area customers, the release concluded.
To learn more about Yoshi’s services, visit https://www.startyoshi.com/.
Express Car Wash opens
ELKO, Nev. — According to www.elkodaily.com, Express Car Wash opened in early February, offering free washes for three days.
Construction on the carwash began last July, and Owner Chuck Petersen said that the tunnel can wash 120 vehicles per hour, the article continued.
“We had three days of free washes last week, so Monday [the 12th] was our first day of business. We’ve been pretty steady ever since,” he said.
Four wash packages are available, and all come with access to three rows of free vacuums, which also include a compressed air gun to blow out cracks or between seats, the article noted.
One-time wash prices start at $8, and the monthly unlimited service starts at $29.99, allowing customers to clean their vehicles up to once per day using a FastPass sticker placed on the windshield, the article reported.
The tunnel also features a “Lava Shield” that includes red lights shining through the foam, and a series of blowers dry the vehicles at the end of the tunnel, the article stated.
Express Car Wash at 1130 River St. is open Monday through Saturday, the article concluded.
SPINX opens its first express carwash
GREENVILLE, S.C. — According to www.greenvillebusinessmag.com, SPINX, a convenience store and gas retailer based in South Carolina, recently opened the first in its line of express tunnel carwashes at the newest SPINX location with a ribbon cutting on Feb. 15th.
This carwash, named Ride ‘N’ Shine, joins the retailer’s 80 locations and 45 carwashes, the article continued.
“We’re so excited to open our first Ride ‘N’ Shine tunnel carwash,” stated Stewart Spinks, founder and chairman of The SPINX Company. “While all carwashes may appear to be the same, our new tunnel wash sets us apart from the competition, and our trained staff and high-tech equipment will deliver a great experience and quick, thorough carwashes to our customers.”
This location is the first of many that SPINX plans to open in South Carolina, the article added.
Furthermore, an attendant will be on-site during operating hours to keep the carwash maintained and to help customers, the article noted.
The carwash contains a water reclaim system, uses eco-friendly chemicals, features a vehicle profiling system and utilizes specially engineered blowers to achieve a dryer vehicle while conserving energy, the article stated.
Hours for the SPINX Ride ‘N Shine tunnel wash in Moncks Corner are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday; hours will be extended to 9 p.m. during the spring and summer.
