Europe welcomes Australian waterless car washing business
The successful Australian waterless car washing and detailing franchise Ecowash Mobile has just launched in Europe, starting with France.
Ecowash Mobile Directors Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicholls, both former race and rally drivers, established Ecowash Mobile in March 2004. The company rapidly grew from a two-car Sydney based service to 32 franchises operating 41 mobile units all around Australia. It also launched operations in the Middle East in September last year.
Jim and Stewart saw a great opportunity to launch Ecowash Mobile Europe.
“The European joint venture partners were originally the manufacturers of our products. They saw great potential in our business model and asked us to introduce it to Europe,” Stewart said.
“It was a sensational opportunity for us because of the potential of the market as well as the existing synergy we had with our partners. They have a very thorough understanding of the European market that made it possible for us to effectively start our franchise,” he said.
Jim recently visited France to help establish the first franchise in the Cote D’azur region.
“We have just launched the first Ecowash Mobile Europe franchise in the south east of France. We will then open master franchises in main European countries such as Switerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and so on,” Jim said.
“The response to the brand and the quality and convenience of our service has been fantastic so far. There has also been a huge acknowledgement of the environmental benefits of using a waterless car wash,” he said.
Jim says that there are both challenges and benefits in establishing a business in Europe.
“All the countries within the European community are very specialised markets. This presents many challenges such as the languages, tax laws and cultural issues - these have to be dealt with effectively and efficiently,” he said.
“Europe is known around the world for being one of the hardest places to establish a business and our model has been very well accepted so it’s a good testimony to strength of our business model,” Jim said.
Pascal Mouchet, Director of Ecowash Mobile Europe, says he was immediately impressed by the Australian franchise system.
“From the very start, we were amazed by the professionalism of the Ecowash Mobile marketing system and brand - each component is impressive, from the colour of the brand to the internet reminder system. The business model can be easily adapted to any other country,” Pascal said.
“We were also impressed by the human and business qualities of the founders. We could not imagine delivering a service without focusing on customers’ demands and we immediately understood that Jim and Stewart had the same concern,” he said.
Pascal says he foresees great potential for the European branch of the business.
“Ecowash Mobile will change the car wash business by offering a real and concrete alternative to water-based car wash. With more than 300 million inhabitants in the biggest European countries, the potential for Ecowash Mobile is huge,” Pascal said.
According to Jim, establishing Ecowash Mobile in Europe and the Middle East has helped the Directors improve their franchising system.
“Through our international operations, we have learnt that the majority of the Ecowash Mobile system is accepted wherever we go - about 95 percent of our model has been applicable in all markets. We now have the opportunity to get feedback from other countries’ experiences and work together towards continuous improvement of our franchise,” Jim said.
The Ecowash Mobile process includes a 2-in-1 wash and polish biodegradable compound that is sprayed onto the car exterior to encapsulate surface dirt. It is then removed with a soft cloth and provides a protective coating. The whole process is guaranteed not to scratch.
Click here for more information on becoming an Ecowash Mobile franchisee |
