Excerpt: The recession appears to be influencing the vehicle maintenance habits of American motorists. As the economy has slumped and credit lending tightened, U.S. car owners are putting a greater emphasis on car repair and appearance to help increase vehicle longevity, according to the Elbow Grease Economics survey released by 3M Car Care.
More than one-third of respondents (34 percent) said they feel the need to take better care of their cars because they cannot afford a new one. In addition, 55 percent said they planned to keep their existing cars longer, and 84 percent are committed to performing regular maintenance to keep them running properly…
With regard to vehicle appearance, 11 percent said keeping their cars looking good was a top priority, and 26 percent of car owners indicated they are taking better care of their vehicles’ appearance to keep them looking new. Interestingly, that number increased slightly to 28 percent among car owners who were unemployed at the time of the survey.
Source: http://www.moderncarcare.com/articles/fast_lube/economy-influences-car-maintenance-habits.html
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Excerpt: Being mobile also allows us to perform work that would be impractical for a fixed shop to do, such as servicing a large number of weekly washes at an office building or a number of wash and waxes for a client with many vehicles. A mobile auto detail business can also adapt easily to service fleets and large vehicles such as RVs and big rigs…
While on-site we meet prospective new customers. We have the opportunity to demonstrate our services and answer questions for those potential customers while on location. Being mobile also allows us to take our service into select prime markets while skipping areas that don't meet the standards for the type of clients we target. We have serviced client's vehicles up to 300 miles away from our home city.
Source: http://www.carwash.com/ENewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=468
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Excerpt: Consumer products maker Procter & Gamble Co. plans to expand the service-intensive business nationwide in spite of the tough economy. P&G won't disclose its goal for the expansion, but spokesman Jeff LeRoy said it is licensed to operate in 41 states and the company plans to "make it as big as we can."…
The new venture comes as most households are cutting discretionary spending — including such items as the $15 to $24 car washes at Mr. Clean — and as other major consumer companies are focusing inward. P&G forecast a week before it announced the expansion that its total sales will fall for the current quarter and perhaps the year…
"This is a very difficult time to enter the car wash business," said Donnelly Eurick, executive director of the Lansing, Mich.-based Midwest Carwash Association. "It's an optional service, money is tight, the future is uncertain." By comparison, The Home Depot Inc., which in January began closing four home-improvement retail subsidiaries, operates six car washes alongside service stations in its parking lots. It has no plans to expand its car wash business.
Source: http://www.thestreet.com/print/story/10475707.html
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