👋Good morning! Today kicks off the inaugural edition of the Car Wash Daily News email newsletter, designed to keep you up to date on the latest news, trends and technologies in the growing car wash industry.

We’ll be talking to veterans of the industry for their insight into building successful businesses but also to newcomers who may have fresh ideas and perspectives and the vendors that serve them all.

Along the way, we’ll also stay connected to consumers - the driving force of any business. What are they looking for when they decide to visit a car wash? What features are important to them? What drives their choices?

👉To give you an idea of what the newsletter has to offer, you can access all of its contents - including the long-form version of stories teased on the newsletter - until later this month. After that, as a paid subscriber, you can maintain full access. Otherwise, only short teasers and summaries will be available in the newsletter and on the Website.

We’re excited about offering a new addition to the media landscape to help publicize an underserved industry. I hope you’ll keep on reading.

Jim Utter
Director of Journalism/Editor in Chief
CW Daily News

Today's issue is sponsored by NXT — Helping You Secure Your NXT Payment.

👉 We’d like your input! Have a story idea or would like us to receive your company’s press releases on your latest news? Email us at [email protected].

🔦TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT🔦

California city latest to ban new car wash developments

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✂️SHORTCUTS✂️

  Editor’s Picks 👇

• That’s a tough spot: Inside a car wash tunnel may seem one of the few places you can escape the potential of traffic mishaps which plague highways so often these days. That wasn’t so for one Colorado woman this past summer, who received a traffic citation for careless driving after her car bumped into a Colorado state trooper patrol car while inside a car wash tunnel. Both vehicles received “very minor damage” according to the police report, but the woman was ticketed for careless driving, which cost her $169 and four points on her license. Read more here.

• PE firms still interested: Private equity firms love businesses that generate recurring revenue, especially those that offer consumer convenience. Take car washes for example.  The car wash industry is not known for large buyouts because, like much of the lower middle market, scale is challenging. However, the industry remains attractive to private equity firms because car washes are cheaper to build out with more one-time equipment costs and it is less labor intensive compared to other real estate-related sectors like restaurants, making them potentially lucrative businesses. Read more here.

  Express Hits  🎯 

• Bubble Down Car Wash: recently announced the acquisition of Dolphin Xpress Car Wash in Palm Harbor, Fla. Bubble Down assumed operations of Dolphin Xpress as of Nov. 12, adding to its growing network. Over the next 90 days, Bubble Down will transform the site into a fully branded Bubble Down location. The acquisition brings Bubble Down’s total to five open locations in Tampa Bay, with three more under construction.

• Splash Car Wash, headquartered in Milford, Conn., opened its 65th location last month, an express wash in Johnson City, N.Y. The new site, which has a 130-foot conveyor and outfitted with 16 free self-service vacuum stations, is Splash’s 40th in the state of New York. Splash has construction set to begin soon in Springfield, Mass., as well as Newburgh and Nanuet, N.Y.

• Flash Car Wash’s annual Veterans Day promotion brought in nearly $50,000, surpassing last year’s total. The promotion took place at all 19 of its locations across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. One hundred percent of the proceeds from all paid retail washes on Veterans Day were donated to Veterans, Inc. Last year, Flash Car Wash provided 1,067 veterans and active service members with complimentary Diamond Washes across their locations and donated $43,879.

  👉 More updates here.

  Making Waves Around the World  🌊 

• Setting sight on the global market: One of the regular features of the CW Daily News newsletter will highlight car wash news items from around the world, not just in the United States. According to a recent analysis report on car wash service market size, share and trends by Grand View Research, the global car wash service market size was estimated at $32.47 billion in 2023 with an anticipated growth rate of 6.1 percent from 2024 to 2030. While North America dominated the global market (more than 50 percent revenue share in 2023), that still leaves significant growth in the overseas market. In addition, overseas markets face their own challenges – many through country’s legislative mandates – which in turn lead to new and effective innovation in the marketplace. Read more here.

  What’s Coming Up  📅

• ROADMAP: The three-day “ROADMAP” event, developed by the International Carwash Association specifically for industry leaders and set for Dec. 11-13 in Austin, Texas, provides access to C-suite professionals and unique ways to highlight the value of your solutions. More info here.

• Women in Car Wash Conference: The 11^th bi-annual Women in Carwash Conference is scheduled for Jan. 19-21, 2025, at the Mills House Charleston in Charleston, S.C. The three-day event includes presentations, hands-on workshops, discussion groups, open forums, networking opportunities, and entertaining experiences. More info here.