El Car Wash’s purchase of four Sparkle Express sites gives the operator a foothold in Chicago as it plans a 50-location presence across Chicagoland through acquisitions and new construction.
The sites are in Chicago, Cicero, Elgin and Matteson. El listed their addresses as 10100 S. Western Ave. in Chicago, 2912 S. Cicero Ave. in Cicero, 1180 S. Randall Road in Elgin and 4002 211th St. in Matteson. The company plans to invest in the washes, change their branding and make upgrades, but has not said when that work will begin.
El described both a 50-site pipeline across Chicago and its suburbs and a goal of reaching 50 locations. It said it had secured development entitlements in Lyons, Lake in the Hills and Downers Grove. The company did not break down the pipeline by construction and acquisitions, set a target date or disclose what it paid for the four sites.
Village of Downers Grove records show the council adopted an ordinance June 2 approving a special use for a car wash at 1341 Butterfield Road. The Daily Herald reported that Lake in the Hills trustees approved an El Car Wash proposal at 240 N. Randall Road on April 9, after raising questions about traffic and sales-tax revenue.
A separate proposed El Car Wash at 60th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago drew residents’ concerns about traffic, noise and water use at a June 2 meeting, the Greater Southwest News-Herald reported. The outlet said the company promised a traffic study before construction.
As of Oct. 15, El reported 110 locations and a membership base nearing 600,000 across the Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. It reported eight operating locations in Metro Detroit and plans for 10 more there over the next year. In May, the company announced plans to enter Baltimore through the acquisition of six operating Canton Car Wash locations.
