Washpod, a new-to-industry standalone, self-service valeting concept, is set to make its debut this July in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Brendan Roper, the man behind and funding the unmanned/cashless model, is planning to open five more sites in the next six years within an hour’s drive of the original location.
They will follow the same template with zones or ‘pods’ for various forms of valeting primarily for cars. The first site will have four jet wash bays, air, screen wash and vacuuming; and a vandal proof vending machine for valeting accessories such as wash leathers, air fresheners and tyre shine.
There will also be a laundry machine, with a dog wash to follow. Over time Roper expects to introduce refreshments as well.
“All of these additions will help to attract people with different valeting requirements, so it’s very much a case of ‘suck it and see’,” says Roper, who would ideally like all locations to be 24-hour trading.
While the sites will run unmanned, Roper will employ a contractor to visit each regularly for general maintenance and housekeeping, emptying litter from bins and washing the bays.
He has been working with property agent Rapleys to identify more locations to lease, and says that he has a “strong pipeline of further potential sites”, with landlords interested in this car wash model.
The formerly derelict Grantham site, in a residential area on South Parade, was set up 20 years ago as a self-service car wash. This means that the new structure will sit directly on the same footprint as the old one. Also, the existing drainage infrastructure is in place for the jet wash bays, saving the need for further planning.
The site has an adjoining piece of land which could be used for increased valeting facilities such as a rollover car wash, subject to planning permission, although Roper would also consider letting this area out to a complimentary business.
Roper says that he hopes the Washpod brand will become recognised as ”the one-stop valeting centre of choice, with best in class wash equipment, convenient hours and methods of payment, and helpful add-on services”.
The Grantham site will have jet washes with reverse osmosis, along with two vac, air and screenwash towers all supplied by BKF CarWash. Roper has also ordered a Spinbox washer and drier laundry machine from Electrajet.
The Washpod consumer app will enable him to offer incentives for individual demographics, or for key occasions, and certain times of the day. The idea is that customers pre-pay for their car cleaning, loading money onto the app. It will give them more time than purchasing at point of sale, to help drive loyalty.
Pay-monthly subscription packages are also something Roper is considering introducing.
“We will offer a lot more incentives at various times of the year to help grow our customer base,” says Roper. He is planning a social media campaign in the run up to opening, and over time he plans to progress to direct emailing customers.
“We want to create an active brand that engages with it’s local community, rather than being a passive facility waiting to be used,” he says.
“I’ve thought for a long while that car wash is a pretty resilient business. It presents a great opportunity for a broad church of users whether you clean your car at home, or spend thousands of pounds on detailing, anyone could be our next customer.
“With the unique British climate, until they invent the self-cleaning car, this sector should be safe!”
