How did the first year of the Neumarkt car wash park go?
Not every new car wash becomes profitable. But in the hilly South-German Oberpfalz , the manager of the Waschpark Neumarkt looks back on a very successful first year. Since they started, they have washed more than 30,000 cars. Some challenges lie ahead.
“We washed more cars each month than the month before” says a proud Thomas Partl, who is the managing director of Waschpark Neumarkt, just south of Nuremberg. It offers ‘5000 m² of wash joy’.
The Neumarkt car wash, with a 35 meter long tunnel, several self-service wash bays and 15 indoor vacuum spaces, opened in November 2021 after an eight-month construction phase.
Since then, it has gained a solid amount of regular customers. “Even today, in winter times, we welcome about a quarter of new customers every day,” observes Partl.
No real competition
There is no similar car wash within a radius of about 30 km in the Neumarkt car wash park’s surrounding area. “There are other facilities, but they are old and don’t have a covered vacuum hall. That’s important to our customers.” The Neumarkt car wash park has thus found a unique selling point and set new standards for car washes in this region.
To convince new customers, cleanliness is Thomas Partl’s top priority. “We make sure that the car wash is spotless, the vacuum hall is clean and the trash cans are emptied regularly. This service is appreciated by the customers. Especially now in winter we can welcome many customers in the vacuum hall.”
In addition to the car wash and the vacuum hall, the Neumarkt car wash park also has self-service wash bays and vacuum opportunities in the outdoor area.
Chemistry is key
The year 2022 was not an easy year to open a car wash. “We were told by many that it would actually take three years to get serious traction. We probably did that in the first year.”
Thomas Partl made a lot of effort on the right wash chemistry. “We have a policy of not skimping on chemistry. We don’t save a penny on it. Our customers don’t really understand how the chemistry works and many still ask for ‘hot wax,’ but with a few explanations, customers are convinced of the performance.”
AUWA chemistry is used in the Neumarkt car wash park. “It’s a good fit for us because we also have a WashTec system.” Even though Thomas Partl has looked into other chemical suppliers, he currently has no plans to switch. “We are now spending about 25% more on wash chemicals than we did at the beginning of the year, but I think all suppliers have become more expensive over the year.”
Inflation
Some new challenges lie ahead. The current inflation especially. This year, Waschpark Neumarkt will probably have to raise its prices slightly. “However, we have not yet finally decided by how much we will go up. That’s not so easy.” At the moment the bronze wash still costs € 9,50.
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