Construction has started on first Dutch Tommy’s
Construction of the very first Dutch Tommy’s Express has started. The car wash will be located on Cartesiusweg in Utrecht, a city in the middle of the country.
First of all, the construction team has to demolish the old IMO car wash which is currently situated on the site. After that it will take about six to nine months to set up a Tommy’s car wash, according to Bram de Graaf, who is in charge of Tommy’s Express in the Netherlands. “We hope to wash the first cars in January 2025,” he told CarwashPro at the UNITI fair in Stuttgart.
The carwash will be a real Tommy’s, says De Graaf. “It will be a copy of how it is set up in America. With some minor adjustments here and there.” Among other things, he refers to the solar panels that will be installed on the building to generate additional energy. “We are unable to get all the power from the Dutch energy grid. Many other companies in the Netherlands are in the same situation.” Because of the energy transition, the power grid in the Netherlands is almost at capacity. A situation that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
Vacuum hall
Although the concept of Tommy’s Express is mainly focused on car washing, there will also be an indoor vacuuming hall in Utrecht, with about 18 vacuuming spots. “If you look at the market in the Netherlands, almost every car wash has free vacuuming. So we are going to offer that as well.” However, the idea is that when people come to wash their car more often, it will not be necessary to grab the vacuum cleaner at every wash. After all, the car won’t be as dirty inside yet. The vacuum plaza will look a little different from the USA. “We want to build an indoor vacuum plaza. Not completely indoor, but covered. This means we can put solar panels on the roof there as well.”
Water recycling is also on the wish list. “We think there will be regulations (in The Netherlands) for that within the next 10 years. That’s why we are making preparations for it.”
Too red
Tommy’s is known for its striking red color. But for the municipality of Utrecht, it was all a bit too much. “We’ve had to make concessions in that,” says De Graaf. “Fortunately, Tommy’s already has experience with strict rules in the USA. They had several models ready to go.”
Impulse washing
Expectations are, some 180 cars per hour will be washed in the 34-meter-long car wash. Quite a number, but fitting for the concept of Tommy’s Express. “We expect people to visit the car wash more from an impulse when they drive by. Instead of them actually planning their visit as they often do now.”
Subscriptions play an important role in this. “At BOB Autowas we see that subscriptions contribute to the growth and development of the company. From Tommy’s, we are certainly convinced of that as well.”
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