Welcome to The Next Move — a new series where I’ll share observations and perspectives from across the car wash industry. My goal is simple: highlight the shifts, challenges, and opportunities that matter most, and spark conversations that help us all prepare for what’s ahead.
This week in Amsterdam, I had the privilege of opening the fifth edition of Car Wash Show Europe alongside industry leaders from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Each market brought a distinct perspective, shaped by its own regulatory environment, customer expectations, and competitive dynamics.
But as I listened to the speakers alongside me — and to conversations with suppliers and operators during the trade show itself — three takeaways stood out. Together, they paint a picture of how growth looks different across borders, and what we can learn from each other as the car wash industry continues to evolve.
Germany has long been a stable, high-performing car wash market. A leading supplier told me the country is still adding 100–125 tunnels per year — numbers that would be cause for optimism in almost any other country.
But here’s the nuance: growth has cooled, and German GDP is expected to be among the lowest in Europe. The market is in a phase where expansion is much more cautious. For operators, that means the playbook has changed. Success is less about capturing the next available site, and more about excelling in operations, customer experience, and store performance — not unlike what we are seeing in the United States.
The Dutch market has also slowed, but for very different reasons. Operators described how the biggest barrier to opening new locations often isn’t capital or consumer demand — it’s access to utilities.
In some cases, connecting a new site to the grid can take anywhere from 12 to 36 months. That kind of delay can reshape a business model. For U.S. operators in particular — fresh off a construction boom — this is a reminder that even things we usually take for granted can substantially impact growth.
The U.K. was perhaps the most surprising story. For years, professional car washes have struggled to compete with the thousands of unregulated hand washes that popped up across the country.
That’s now changing. Industry leaders estimate the number of unregulated hand washes has declined by roughly 75% — from 20,000 locations to 5,000. The result: demand is improving, optimism is returning, and professional operators are seeing a path forward. It’s a vivid example of how regulation and enforcement can transform an entire market (in this case, for the better).
These stories are a reminder that growth is never linear. It can cool, stall, or reemerge depending on local dynamics — whether that’s market maturity, infrastructure, or regulation. The lesson for all of us: take care of what you can take care of. In Germany, that means running excellent operations in a mature market. But we must also recognize that there are always forces beyond our control — like utilities in the Netherlands or regulation in the U.K. — that can reshape markets almost overnight.
And these dynamics aren’t limited to Europe. In the U.S., operators are facing new pressures from PFAS testing in certain states, while some municipalities are pushing back on car wash permitting and creating construction moratoriums. These are the kinds of external forces that can change the growth equation — quickly and decisively. At ICA, we’re actively working on both issues.
That’s the purpose of The Next Move: to surface perspectives from across the industry and highlight the factors we can control — and the ones we can't — shaping our future. I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Eric Wulf is the CEO of International Carwash Association. His newsletter series, The Next Move, aims to highlight the shifts, challenges, and opportunities that matter most in the car wash industry. Subscribe to The Next Move on LinkedIn to be notified when new editions are published.