Graham Kennedy has upgraded the valeting hub at his sci-fi themed York forecourt, in a £600,000-plus investment made necessary by an electrical fire in May this year damaging the plant room for his bay of jet washes.
Graham had hoped that his former supplier Washtec would be able to repair the backroom equipment at his Inner Space Stations site, but in the end he opted for a six bay state of the art alternative from Croatian supplier Adriateh.
He says that he is the first in the north of England to install it. Customers, having read about it on social media, are travelling for miles from Leeds and Wakefield to give it a try.
The six jet washes give a superior clean because they use hot and cold water, which is passed through giant water softeners to avoid streaks on the finished job, and there is a snow foam option.
Also, the soft wash brushes on the water lances are made from Scandinavian hogs hair, which won’t hold any particles or risk scratching vehicles, says Graham.
The chemicals he uses are important too, he says. “When you use the jet wash with a wax and the ‘reverse osmosis super clean water rinse’ it makes sure the car dries perfectly with no spots or streaks,” says Graham.
And for convenience, the Planet Wash branded bank of jet washes, offers four payment systems: coins, tokens, contactless and the Ready2Wash app.
Graham says that he took inspiration from the Fraser family’s Brize Norton Service Station in Carterton, Oxfordshire, which won the valeting accolade in Forecourt Trader’s 2024 industry awards last month.
Known for his eye for detail, Graham, a previous winner of that category himself and a former Forecourt Trader of the Year, says that he has taken extra care over the graphics on the instructions, and has installed a ‘wow’ factor silver back wall.
“David Charman set the scene initially by using Adriateh,” says Graham, “he set the ball rolling, and I really liked what the Frasers had done.
“I have just given the installation a bit more finesse with the finish by covering gaps in stainless steel and covering the back wall in Kingspan which gives it a silver finish,” adds Graham.
Four of the bays are fitted with air and vacuum machines, and two of the bays allow for higher vehicles up to 3.2m to be cleaned under the canopy.
Customers have reacted well to the technology, and with 11,000 customers a week, word will get out that after a gap of five months, jet washing is now back at the forecourt.
“The results are fantastic, I have been using it for my own car, and we expect sales to go up consistently in the next six months,” says Graham.
Fortunately, the fire was contained to the plant room where it started, and Graham is sanguine about the incident.
In the past, Graham owned five petrol stations. Although he refers to Inner Space Stations as his pet project, he has now moved much of his focus into self-storage, parking and housing, but he asserts, “Inner Space Stations will continue to push the boundaries of excellence”.
