Listen to this article 6 min
Whistle Express is doubling its car wash properties in the Cleveland and Akron areas by acquiring and rebranding five Rainforest Car Wash locations.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Whistle Express plans to rebrand the car washes at:
- 2888 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights.
- 5133 Pearl Road in Cleveland.
- 1505 Traveler's Point in Avon.
- 3365 Center Road in Brunswick.
- 2696 Medina Road in Medina.
Whistle Express plans to upgrade wash technology and install new signage at the car washes later this year, the company said Monday.
"We're excited to partner with the established and beloved Rainforest brand to bring Whistle Express to the vibrant city of Cleveland and its surrounding neighborhoods," said Whistle Express CEO Jose Costa in a statement.
The highly fragmented car wash industry is rapidly consolidating as investors gather thousands of independent operators under one roof. Greater Cleveland has seen many car washes acquired since 2020 by companies including Take 5, International Car Wash Group and Express Wash Concepts.
In 2022, Rainforest acquired its Pearl Road car wash from Pearl Brookpark Car Wash, which closed after 57 years in business because it couldn't find enough employees to operate following the Covid pandemic.
Whistle Express is the 11th-largest conveyor-belt car wash operator nationwide with 116 locations as of Dec.31, according to DRB.com. The Charlotte company plans to more than double its size in the next few years.
DRB Systems LLC in Akron, Ohio, also is part of the acquisition trend. The provider of point of sale, workflow software and control software to the car wash industry was acquired for $965 million in cash by Vontier Corp. in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2021.
