Never-opened car wash at Glenstone, Cherry to debut via multistate deal

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A car wash that was built and never opened at the corner of Glenstone Avenue and Cherry Street will soon be operational through a multistate acquisition deal.

Tsunami Express Car Wash intends to launch a location at 600 S. Glenstone Ave., though a grand opening date has not yet been determined, said Wyatt Tinder, vice president of marketing and communications at marketing agency Newaukee, speaking on behalf of Tsunami. The car wash on the site was constructed for Take 5 Car Wash in 2023, but it has sat vacant since completion. 

Tsunami Car Wash's website indicates the store at Glenstone and Cherry is coming soon.

Tinder said the location is part of a multistate acquisition announced yesterday by Tsunami Express.

Tsunami Express, which is based in Lake Oswego, Oregon, closed on the purchase of 53 Take 5 Car Wash locations in the Midwest from Whistle Express Car Wash, according to a news release. Whistle Express bought the Take 5 Car Wash brand from Driven Brands (NASDAQ: DRVN) earlier this year. 

A list of the acquired Missouri car washes provided by Tinder shows five currently operating in Springfield Business Journal's coverage area. Two are in Springfield, at 2808 N. Kansas Expressway and 3702 W. University St., with one apiece in Branson at 1228 Branson Hills Parkway, Nixa at 601 McCroskey St., and Ozark at 1775 Marler Lane. The other Missouri locations are in Cape Girardeau, Joplin and West Plains.

“These locations are a strong fit for our growth strategy,” said Chris Schuldt, CEO of Tsunami Express Car Wash, in the release. "They expand our footprint into high‑priority markets and allow us to quickly introduce our premium Tsunami experience to new communities."

Tsunami Express intends to rebrand the acquired Take 5 Car Wash locations and make investments to bring them into compliance with the company's Tsunami CleanTech technology.

Tsunami Express, which started in 2017, sold a majority stake to private equity firm Point72 Hyperscale in 2022, according to an announcement at the time. With the purchase of the Take 5 Car Wash locations from Whistle Express, Tsunami has 74 stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.