January 30, 2024
2 minute ReadWant to know what topics are attracting the most interest online from your peers? These are the top 11 most-read 2023 CAR WASH Magazine online articles. These articles, plus more, were all first published in the print version of the award-winning CAR WASH Magazine, which is delivered quarterly to International Carwash Association members’ mailboxes. Join today!
The question of how many car washes an area can support is an eternal one, and the answer can depend on a slew of factors and considerations that are both quantitative and qualitative, making the decision both a science and an art.
Washes that redefine the typical square-footage guidelines are evolving — and finding a football field-size niche in the car wash industry.
3. Six Insights into Why Car Washing is at an All-Time High
We live in a world that doesn’t just like things to be easy and convenient. Consumers demand it — at least that is what the results of the ICA U.S. Consumer Pulse Study say.
4. Grace For Vets: Strength in Numbers
Grace For Vets continues to provide free washes to veterans and active duty military on Veterans Day (Nov. 11). In 2022, alone, 374,960 washes were provided for our servicemen and women, bringing the running tally to over 3.5 million cars washed since inception in 2003.
5. Tinkering, Teaching and Pushing the Limits
Going where no man has gone before, figuratively and literally, is one of the reasons Gleam Car Wash exists — and is growing. Tinkering, teaching and pushing the limits are just what they do.
6. Popularity's Perks and Pitfalls
From market saturation questions to moratoriums, the car wash industry’s rapid growth is drawing attention, not all of it good.
Technology and increasingly sophisticated equipment, however, have given operators an array of powerful tools to use to manage the maintenance and repair of their equipment — and have made that equipment more durable and reliable.
8. Dramatic Shifts Emerge in Real Estate Tone
Ideal locations for car washes are like the weather —hard to predict far in advance and always changing. But, knowing how to read the real estate market and its trends can go a long way in helping ensure you make the right site decision.
9. Rooting for Classic Car Wash
A horse with car wash roots emerges as Kentucky Derby prospect.
10. The Truth About Being a Manager
Graduating from a front-line worker to a manager can come with some surprises. Sometimes, it's even like walking a tightrope.
11. Locking In Long-Term Commitments
Some car wash professionals are looking into longer-term membership plans as a potential strategy to lock in a solid customer base. Gyms, cable companies, and some phone service providers do this — but is it a viable option for car washes?
