Procter & Gamble Puts Mr. Clean To Work Washing Cars

Procter & Gamble Co. is expanding its Mr. Clean carwash concept nationwide, acquiring a carwash company and setting up a franchising subsidiary as the vehicles for its growth.

 P&G has acquired Atlanta-based
Carnett's Car Washes, which has 14 franchised carwashes in Georgia.
The Mr. Clean Performance Car Wash idea had its beginnings in this
area with two P&G-owned facilities in Evendale and Deerfield
Township. Three other franchised carwashes are under development, P&G
said.

The carwash business is fragmented,
meaning a big corporation such as P&G has the potential to make
inroads, said Eric Wulf, executive director of the International
Carwash Association.

There are about 100,000 carwash
locations in the U.S., but the largest chain, Wash Depot, operates
only about 100, he said. It's P&G's first large-scale foray into
franchising and is a way to quickly grab a piece of a $20 billion
U.S. market in retail car washing.