SONNY'S The Car Wash Factory: Industry Trending towards Flex Serve Wash Model

Tamarac, Florida — January 18, 2010 – In the 24 month period comparing 2008 car wash equipment sales to 2009 car wash equipment sales, SONNY'S The Car Wash Factory's data indicate a significant shift toward an increase in the flex-service car wash model, which typically combines an express-exterior car wash and express-detailing service offerings on one property.

"There is no doubt that the express-exterior car wash model continues to dominate the market for new construction," notes Paul Fazio, President of SONNY'S. "In 2009, express-exteriors made up 75% of all new tunnel systems shipped by SONNY'S. But the more interesting story develops when you take a look at the flex-serve model. Accounting for only 15% of tunnel shipments in 2008, flex-serves jumped to 20% of tunnel sales in 2009. To us, that shows that the car wash industry is continuing to evolve to meet the needs of a different marketplace for both the operators and the wash customers."

The sales data revealed the following:

"When you look at the economy and the general consumer population, it makes perfect sense that operators who would have previously built a full-serve are increasingly choosing the flex-serve model," continues Fazio. "There will always be demand for the full-service wash, but today's car wash often needs to appeal to a broader customer base and be in better control of its labor costs to succeed. The flex-serve model allows the business to attract a larger audience with a value priced drive-thru exterior while meeting the demand of the full-serve customer by providing interior cleaning and express detailing services."

The company's results further show a slight shift in express-exterior tunnel shipments to the flex-serve model. According to Fazio, "we believed the shift would take place and have had a common practice of designing express-exterior layouts to easily convert to a flex-serve if so desired. There's a definite push to increase the value of a property by adding multiple wash formats and services that can expand hours of operation and the consumer preferences served. That is a trend that I expect will gain momentum in 2010."

About SONNY'S Enterprises
SONNY'S The Car Wash Factory is the largest manufacturer of conveyorized car wash equipment, parts and supplies in the world. With full tunnel systems in each of the 50 United States and equipment in over 20 countries worldwide, SONNY'S equipment delivers millions of clean, dry, shiny cars each year around the globe. The company founder, Sonny Fazio, built his first full-serve car wash in 1949. Today, SONNY'S is a recognized industry leader, awarded as such by the International Car Wash Association. Further building upon the company's commitment to make car washing easy for its clients, SONNY'S is the parent to four distinct divisions: AutoPilot Carwash Control Systems, CarWash College, BayWash In-Bay Automatic Car Wash Systems, and SONNY'S Parts Division, responsible for distributing over 14,000 car wash parts to more than 12,000 car wash businesses worldwide.

Contact:
Robert Morris — VP Marketing
rmorris@sonnysdirect.com | 954-720-4100