PetrolPlaza Talks #4: The Carwash Market

The fourth episode of PetrolPlaza Talks got together industry leading companies Tommy Car Wash Systems, Shell and WashTec to provide an insight into the present and future of the global car wash market.

PetrolPlaza Talks #4: The Carwash Market took a look at the global car wash market, the effect of the pandemic on digital payments, the expansion of tunnel washes and how a shared economy could actually be beneficial for the industry.

The car wash industry had enjoyed continued growth across various markets around the world. More than 2 billion cars are washed each year in North America and nearly 1 billion in Europe. Car wash retail sales are approximately $15 billion in North America, €5 billion in Europe and A$1.5 billion in Australia, according to the International Carwash Association.

Ryan Essenburg, President of Tommy Express Car Wash, shared his knowledge on the U.S. market, the success of their franchise model and the future of tunnel washes. Arthur Wessel, Executive Vice President at WashTec Cleaning Technology, and Christoph Hafemann, Global Category Manager Carwash at Shell, spoke about the importance of car wash systems for the petrol station industry and how to offer customers choice. All three panellists agreed that the car wash market will grow significantly as customer behaviour changes and people start taking their car to an automatic wash routinely.

We also discussed potential markets, digitalization and sustainability.