Introduction

The European car wash sector is one which is dominated by service station retailers, however, other players are active in the market and in certain countries commercial hand car washing operations are increasing in importance. This report provides insight into key sector trends as well as data on motorist's wash behaviour, market value and installation numbers by type of car wash and channels.

Scope of this research

• Insight into the key trends impacting the car wash retail sector including forecasts of new vehicle registrations and motorists' car washing behaviour
• Up-to-date car wash value, wash volume and installation data for the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Italy
• Consumer data on the effectiveness of different wash types based on criteria including wash quality, wash speed, care for vehicle and value for money
• Overviews of the key car wash manufacturers and operators including service station providers as well as standalone players such as Elephant Bleu

Research and analysis highlights

In 2009 the combined total value of the commercial car wash market in the region was EUR4,423m. There were 916 million commercial car washes in 2009, and on average each vehicle in the eight markets is cleaned at a commercial wash 4.8 times each year. Service stations are the largest commercial car wash channel in the region.

Germany has the largest commercial car wash market in Europe. In comparison with the rest of the region, Spanish vehicles are cleaned at a commercial car wash most frequently. The UK's commercial hand wash market is the largest wash channel in the country.

The car wash industry has been affected by the economic downturn, with some of the major manufacturers reporting a decline in installation sales. They are now focusing on improving dealer sales. Shell has the largest number of service stations with a car wash in Europe, while IMO has the largest network of standalone wash sites.

Key reasons to purchase this research

• Make informed investment decisions by understanding the size of the car wash retail market and the nature of the competition within it.
• Formulate market share objectives for your company and assess performance using our value data segmented by channel and installation type.
• Develop superior strategies to those of your competitors by accessing information on their site numbers and marketing activities.