Independent forecourt operator Tankerford is installing washing machines at six of its sites, broadening the services the firm offers.
Installations will commence in the coming days at four confirmed sites, with data being finalised for a further two forecourts.
“We’re looking at ways of keeping up with the market as it keeps growing and transitioning, and it’s a no brainer for us”, Tankerford’s retail sales director, Jamie Wheeler told Forecourt Trader. ”We put in jet washes, we’ve got lockers now, and laundrette seemed like a solution we could use”, he adds.
The machines are being installed at two Tankerford sites in Portsmouth, plus one in East Ham, London, and another at Tattenham, Epsom.
The firm behind the machines, Wash.Me, installs and maintains them and deploys a profit-sharing model over a typical five-year contract with site owners, as Wheeler explains.
“If the site doesn’t work the way they’ve scoped it to work there’s no payback for them either, so it’s definitely a partnership. If it doesn’t do the turnover and there’s not the audience, there’s no benefit to them leaving it on that site, so it’s about moving it somewhere else, where it’s going to make money.”
Wheeler says that while the machines’ margins “aren’t going to support a whole business” in the forecourt sector, the amount of room they require is minimal. “We’re quite tight for space at a couple of the sites” he says, adding: “But if you can find a little place just to the side that’s not being utilised, it’s another income stream and footfall driver.”
Electricity and water for the machines are provided by forecourts, though these costs are said to be low relative to sites’ overall energy requirements.
Wash.Me, previously known as Revolution Laundry, launched in 2012 and is part of the Me Group, which is best known for Photo.Me photobooths. The firm has over 900 machines in the UK and Northern Ireland, with supermarkets, car parks and petrol stations common locations for them.
Customers pay £5.50 or £11 to wash their clothes depending on the size of the machines, which come in two forms, with 8-9kg, and 18-20kg capacities. Text messages are sent to customers when wash cycles are nearing their end, removing the need to wait while clothes are washed. Detergent is included with fabric softener an additional £1, while tumble driers are priced at £3.50 per 15 minutes.
Wheeler says he expects knowledge of the machines to be shared by word of mouth, explaining: “Looking at the data, it’s definitely one of those that starts off quite slowly and takes a few months for people to start to use it”. He adds, though, that Wash.Me says once their presence becomes established, machines can be expected to generate revenues of between £2,000 and £3,000 each month.
