Staff Reports
Continuing updates on the global car wash industry:
Brandon auto dealership adds car wash location
Sisson Auto Finance and Sales, located in Brandon, a city in Manitoba, Canada, has purchased a nearby building, which includes Ronnie’s Car Wash.
Ronnie’s Car Wash will undergo upgrades to improve its functionality and customer experience as the owners hope to leverage its existing auto dealership customer base to drive traffic to the car wash. The owners plan to launch the revamped car wash in spring 2025.
Bigger is also warmer at Edmonton car wash
Not only is Bubbles Car Wash and Detail Centre the largest full-service car wash company in Canada, but its two-story Edmonton facility is among the largest in the country. An additional amenity is that all services, including vacuums, are located indoors.
The 23,000-sq.-ft. location, opened in June 2021 and features a 7,500-sq.-ft. detail shop with 12 bays on the second level and a ground floor 100-ft. PECO tunnel to complete the service-heavy package. While services are being performed, customers have the option to wait in the site’s high-style lounge area.
Car wash owner banned for employing illegal workers
The owner of a Lincolnshire car wash in Peterborough, England, has been banned from running a company for five years after employing illegal workers. Mohamed Hamza hired the workers from Syria and Egypt to work at M&H Car Wash in Pinchbeck, near Spalding.
The business was fined £20,000 after the two workers were discovered during an immigration enforcement visit in 2022. The disqualification means Hamza cannot be involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company in the UK without permission from a court.
Chain of Winnipeg car washes vandalized
A chain of car washes in Winnipeg, Canada, has been hit twice by different vandals in 10 days. On both occasions, the vandals drove into separate Blondie’s Car Wash facilities and caused an estimated $20,000 in combined damage.
An arrest has been made in one incident while the investigation is ongoing in the other. Owner Gil Gauthier said he’s relieved no one was hurt as a result of either crime, but recent events have left him feeling “on edge, all the time.”
Multi Corporation acquires car wash facility in Netherlands
Multi Corporation, which manages retail real estate assets across Europe, has acquired a fully automated car wash facility in Duiven, Netherlands. Operated by Claro Carwash, the facility is equipped with advanced technology and complies with all sustainability regulations.
“The car wash industry has been highly modernized in the past decade and this facility meets the needs of today’s customers whilst adhering to high standards of sustainability,” said Arnaud du Pont, managing director multi property management Netherlands.
Car wash in Scotland allowed to remain open
A car wash in Inverurie, a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which originally opened without planning permission will remain in operation after receiving unanimous approval from Garioch area committee. Owner Ilim Tanyelli converted the former builders yard last year into Elims Car Wash & Valet Centre.
Moroccan smart car wash startup gets private backing
Witamax, Morocco’s first private-backed venture capital firm, recently announced a $600,000 pre-seed investment in Washminute, an innovative startup hoping to transform the smart car wash industry. This milestone investment, supported by Tamwilcom, marks Witamax’s debut in the cleantech space.
Washminute is tackling one of Morocco’s critical challenges: water conservation amidst growing hydric stress. By introducing cutting-edge, water-efficient car wash solutions, the company hopes to transform car washing into a fast, eco-friendly process that saves resources while offering unparalleled convenience.
In seven months, Washminute has expanded operations to seven locations across Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir.
Leicestershire car wash site to be replaced by new homes
A “nuisance” car wash in a village in the county of Leicestershire in England village will be bulldozed for new homes. The former petrol station in the village of Earl Shilton, which is currently home to a car wash and car repair workshop, will be replaced by five new homes in a plan recently approved by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.
HBBC planning officers said the site currently “makes a negative contribution to the character of the area.”
Mini showroom to be replaced by car wash in Poole
Mini’s car sales showroom in Poole, a town in Dorset, England, is set to be demolished under new plans by a dealership. Marshall Motor Group has launched a bid to remove the dealership building in Wallisdown Road and replace it with a car wash. Meanwhile, Mini will move into the BMW dealership next door.
German giant BMW bought Mini in 1996 from the Rover Group, but the cars are still made in the UK at BMW’s Oxford plant. Marshall Motor Group’s plans for a new car wash and valet service would be placed at the back of the site.
Plans for new car wash site in Middlesbrough submitted
Plans to build a car wash with three jet wash bays on an Acklam Road site have been submitted to Middlesbrough Council. Middlesbrough is a town in North Yorkshire, England.
The applicant’s proposal calls for three jet wash bays, a “roll on car wash,” four electric vehicle charging bays and two air and water bays. The land put forward for planning permission sits next to the site of an approved gas station and convenience store, which has been unused since 2017.
The application confirmed that the proposals will not require a new diversion or right of way to be created.
Tommy’s Express location to open in Brampton
OpenRoad Auto Group, which operates 33 dealerships across Canada and represents 20 vehicle nameplates, created OpenShine last year to bring Tommy’s Express Car Wash sites to Canada. The plan is to open several locations in Ontario, such as Brampton, St. Thomas, London and Waterloo.
The Brampton location is under construction and will be a part of OpenRoad Brampton East Toyota and OpenRoad Honda Brampton. The location was chosen to tap into the expertise the OpenRoad dealership has in managing customer relationships and customer outreach and marketing.
Not all locations for Tommy’s Express Car Wash will be near or part of OpenRoad dealerships.
ISTOBAL celebrates its 75th anniversary in car wash industry
From its origins in a small vehicle repair shop in 1950, ISTOBAL has come a long way to consolidate its position as a multinational present in more than 80 countries and with 15 international subsidiaries.
Founded in L’Alcúdia (Valencia) by Ismael Tomás Alacreu, ISTOBAL is now run by the third generation. Today, the Spanish equipment supplier has 15 wholly owned subsidiaries: Austria, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as partnerships with distributors in other strategic regions.
ISTOBAL currently employs more than 1,000 professionals worldwide and has a global network of distributors and a strong R&D department working on innovations.
Few UK car wash owners have paid outstanding fines
A recent report by The (London) Telegraph newspaper says as little as five percent of fines assessed to car wash companies for hiring illegal migrants have been collected. Last summer, the Home Office said it would crack down on the businesses that hire illegal workers as part of the cash-only economy.
Official data collected, however, shows the 12 worst-offending car wash companies were given civil penalties worth more than £650,000 in 2023 but have paid only £33,750 of fines owed. Read more here.
New car wash planned in County Kildare in Ireland
A planning application has been submitted to Kildare County Council by Beech Hill Gateway Services DAC to build a car wash along the M9 motorway in Kildare. The estimated cost of the project is €50,000.
The new facility would comprise of one automatic wash bay, an associated car wash plant room and payment terminal and an above ground fuel tank.
Car wash to be removed from Aberystwyth petrol station
Plans were recently submitted to Ceredigion County Council planners which call for the removal of the existing jet wash and car wash at the Morrison’s petrol station on the Parc y Llyn retail park in Aberystwyth, a town in Ceredigion, Wales.
The jet wash and car wash would be replaced with an extension to the existing petrol filling station’s sales building, erection of EV chargers with canopy, substation enclosure and other amenities.
The proposals, which include the removal of some trees and hedgerow to make way for the development, will be considered by county planners at a later date.
