The Brocklehursts, former Forecourt Trader of the Year winners, are considering extending their standalone valeting centre, and to use it as a template to roll out at several more sites in coming years.
Director Karl Brocklehurst, who set up the Washme Jet Wash Centre in Northampton with his father Nick in July 2020, says that the format has been performing so well that he wants to potentially increase the number of bays from six to 10, and is considering introducing one or maybe even two roll-over automatic car washes.
The ‘buy time’ self-service jet washes cost customers £1 for 100 seconds, and there are three vacuums charging £2 for six minutes.
One of the wash bays can take high top vans, motorhomes and caravans because of its increased height, and the others are all under cover, with touch screen controls, full bay lighting, and underfloor heating, so that vehicles can be washed any time of day or night, whatever the weather.
The model produces healthy profit margins and has low staff costs, says Karl. With the jet washes being self-service, and accepting contactless and coin payments, the 24-hour site operates without staff from between 11pm and 7am. It can also be remotely monitored with its 22 CCTV cameras, and a diagnostics system which checks the machines are working efficiently, automatically sending alerts to Karl and Nick if there is a problem.
Weather plays a massive part in how busy the business is, says Karl. “If it is a dry and bright day, which follows a damp period when cars get dirty, we can get 10 to 15 cars queueing to use the jet washes,” he adds. “We get a wide range of customers and vehicles – cars, vans, motorhomes, and even bicycles, with some customers travelling more than 10 miles to us,” says Karl.
Customers are drawn to the functions of the Adriateh jet washes, says Karl, including a hot water option, a spot free rinse, and the theatre of the ‘active foam’ setting. However, Karl believes that the business might be losing some custom due to the lengthy queues of customers waiting, and also from not having automatic roll-over washers, as he says not everyone wants to clean their own car.
Shortly after being crowned Forecourt Trader of the Year 2006, the Brocklehursts were approached by several businesses which were interested in taking over their Westbridge Motors forecourt business, which is next door to the jet wash centre. They decided in the end to enter into a 20-year lease agreement with their then Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore, which now runs the Jet site with a Spar convenience store.
This contract comes up for renewal in two years in May, and the father and son team would like the wholesaler to re-sign another agreement. They want to be free to focus on their commercial property portfolio, and on potentially building a network of valeting sites within 20 to 30 miles of the first one.
Their first jet wash site cost £440,000 to install the equipment on land the Brocklehursts already owned, during the height of covid when building materials were expensive.
Karl says that forecourt operators thinking of pursuing a similar path need to be aware too of other costs attached to a valeting centre, largely electricity, water, gas to heat the water, and every couple or three months a £3,000 collection fee to responsibly dispose of waste from the jet washes. Karl also recommends using a drive in, drive out format to avoid vehicle collisions, although he says this will often mean space for fewer jet wash bays.
He says that he is actively looking for other suitable locations on which to build valeting centres, with ambitions to have at least one more by the end of next year. “In my head I would like 10, 20, 30, but realistically with it being just me and my father in the business, as things stand I think that might be pushing it a bit!
“The beauty of this business is that it will be busy in the future regardless of whether people are driving petrol, electric or hydrogen cars.”
