Car Wash at the NACS Show

[rph9168]

I have heard that there will be no car wash topic or presentation at the NACS Show this year. If true, it is not a good omen for our industry. In my area many C-store/gas station washes have closed. Not many new sites are building washes. This may be a sign for the future of car washing in this industry.

Whether you like the fact that some C-stores/gas stations have car washes or not they do provide more exposure to the motoring public to car washing and serve to introduce it to many who may not have gone to a free standing facility. If the C-store/gas station industry is beginning to pull away from car washing it is not good news to the manufacturers of equipment, chemicals and other supplies that depend on sales to this industry. This could be a rather bad development for the car wash industry as a whole.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

What do you think they'll be into then this year, at their convention. Car washing has been the push for at least 10yrs.

 

[rph9168]

Not sure what will be next. I think the rise of the Exterior Express and the economy have cause many in the C-Store industry to look for alternative profit centers that don't involve as much capital and maintenance expenses.

I think some that have existing washes will continue or those with really good potential car wash sites might build a short tunnel but in general I think they will look towards expanding their in-store offerings with more fast food items. Some in our area have turned to making room for small donut type shops serving light breakfasts and lunches. Others have brought in franchise operations like chicken or pizza chains. While I don't think car washing will completely disappear in this market segment I don't see it growing in popularity either.

 

[MEP001]

FWIW, most of the C-stores around here with washes don't operate them as a profit center. They offer them to help sell gas.

 

[rph9168]

C-Store/Gas Stations do not use car washing as a lost leader or an incentive to buy gas. In fact, they often use gas sales to promote the wash. There are many more inexpensive ways for C-store/gas stations to build gas sales than to spend a lot of money to build and maintain a wash.

Many years ago with the "free wash with a fill up" concept gas stations used washes to increase gas sales but now they view it as a way to make more money or they get rid of it. Most corporate C-stores even have a formula to calculate profitability per square foot to determine the best use of their space on a site.