Presidents and CEOs of the nation’s largest conveyor carwash chains were busy in 2007. From Mace’s dramatic fall from second to 19th place to the surprising leaps and bounds of Mister Car Wash, the Top 50 list maintained a steady presence in the news. Autobell maintained its steady growth; Wash Depot acquired its first sites in nearly four years; and Car Wash Headquarters, a promising eight-store chain, disappeared completely as it was acquired in the aggressive growth spurt of Mister Car Wash.
In addition to the movement by Top 50 veterans, the list also welcomed four newcomers: Boomerang Carwash, the spin-off of Rapido Rabbit’s failed attempt to franchise; Bubbles Car Wash, a unique conglomeration of hand wash and express exterior sites based in Houston; Cactus Enterprises, the chain that acquired Mace’s 12 Arizona stores; and Car Wash USA Express, a project by Ray Holley, CEO of Carwash Superstore, a carwash equipment distributor and supplier.
Sold site(s) in 2007:
Turtle Wax (2), Triangle Car Wash (2), Car Wash Headquarters (8), American Auto Wash (1)
Added site(s) in 2007:
Octopus Car Wash (4), Wash Tub (1), Golden Nozzle (2), Super Car Wash (1), Waterway (1)
Site(s) under construction in 2008:
Autobell (1), Waterway (1), Fabulous Freddy’s (1)
Plans for additional site(s) in 2008:
Goo Goo (12), Carnett’s (5), Prime Shine (1), Shur-Kleen (1)
Rank
|
Carwash
|
Website
|
Locations
|
1 | Wash Depot, Malden, MA | www.washdepot.com | 76 |
2 | Mister Car Wash, Tucson, AZ | www.mistercarwash.com | 60 |
3 | Autobell Car Wash, Charlotte, NC | www.autobell.com | 49 |
4 | Mike’s Express Car Wash, Indianapolis, IN | www.mikesexpress.com | 35 |
5 | Delta Sonic, Buffalo, NY | www.deltasoniccarwash.com | 28 |
6 | Original $2 Car Wash, Livonia, MI | 25 | |
7 | Octopus Car Wash, Albuquerque, NM | www.octopuscarwash.com | 24 |
8 | Goo Goo Car Wash, Columbus, GA | www.googoocarwash.com | 22 |
9 | Brown Bear Car Wash, Seattle, WA | www.brownbear.com | 21 |
10 | Regal Auto Wash, Scottsdale, AZ | www.regalautowash.com | 21 |
11 | Wash Tub Car Wash, San Antonio, TX | www.washtubcarwash.com | 21 |
12 | American Auto Wash, Inc., Malvern, PA | www.gasnwash.com | 20 |
13 | Splash Car Wash, Stamford, CT | www.splashcarwashes.com | 20 |
14 | Turtle Wax, Chicago, IL | www.turtlewaxcarwash.com | 18 |
15 | Russell Speeders, Norwalk, CT | www.russellspeeders.com | 18 |
16 | Boomerang Carwash, North Little Rock, AR | www.boomerangcarwash.com | 17 |
17 | Danny’s Family Carousel Car Wash | www.dannysfamily.com | 17 |
18 | Golden Nozzle Car Wash, Springfield, MA | www.flroberts.com | 17 |
19 | Waterway Gas & Wash Co., St. Louis, MO | www.waterway.com | 17 |
20 | ScrubaDub, Nattick, MA | www.scrubadub.com | 17 |
21 | Mace Security, Mt. Laurel, NJ | www.mace.com | 16 |
22 | Kaady Car Wash, Portland, OR | www.kaady.com | 16 |
23 | Carnett’s Car Washes, Liburn, GA | www.carnetts.com | 15 |
24 | Car Spa, Inc., Dallas, TX | www.carspa.net | 14 |
25 | Letavis Cloth Wash, Swartz Creek, MI | 14 | |
26 | Triangle Car Wash, Palmyra, PA | www.trianglecarwashes.com | 14 |
27 | Fuller’s Car Wash, Brookfield, IL | www.fullerscarwash.com | 13 |
28 | Scrub-a-Dub, West Allis, WI | www.scrubadub.biz | 13 |
29 | Bubbles Car Wash, Houston, TX | www.bubblescarwash.com | 13 |
30 | Car Wash USA Express, Byhalia, MS | 12 | |
31 | Hoffman Car Wash, Albany, NY | www.hoffmancarwash.com | 12 |
32 | Twisted Cactus Express, Phoenix, AZ | 11 | |
33 | Haffner’s Car Care Group, Lawrence, MA | www.haffners.com | 11 |
34 | Mr. Sparkle, South Windsor, CT | www.mrsparklecarwash.com | 10 |
35 | Shammy Shine, Milford, NJ | www.shammyshine.com | 10 |
36 | Super Shine Auto Wash, Braintree, MA | www.supershineautowash.com | 10 |
37 | Elephant Car Wash, Auburn, WA | www.elephantcarwash.com | 9 |
38 | Mr. Wash Car Wash, Washington, D.C. | www.mrwash.com | 9 |
39 | PDQ, Green Bay, WI | www.pdqcarwash.com | 9 |
40 | Prime Shine Car Wash, Modesto, CA | www.primeshine.com | 9 |
41 | Super Car Wash, Royal Oaks, MI | www.supercarwash.net | 9 |
42 | Washman, LLC, Portland, OR | www.washmanusa.com | 9 |
43 | Arizona Auto Wash, Mesa, AZ | www.arizonaautowash.com | 8 |
44 | Beacon Bay Enterprises, Costa Mesa, CA | www.beaconbay.com | 8 |
45 | White Glove of Delaware, Wilmington, DE | www.whiteglove.com | 8 |
46 | Car Pool, Inc., Richmond, VA | www.carpool-llc.com | 7 |
47 | Fabulous Freddy’s, Las Vegas, NV | www.fabfred.com | 7 |
48 | Peterson’s Soft Cloth, Staunton, VA | www.petersons1.com | 7 |
49 | Shur-Kleen, Mill Creek, WA | www.shur-kleen.com | 7 |
50 | Terrible Herbst, Las Vegas, NV | www.terribleherbst.com | 7 |