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VisibiUSy and expasum mwe cr bicaL.. if yourreourr of s`ft.A you're curt of HIMH! VISIBILITY Visibility and exposure are critical. It it's out of sight, it's out of mind. You may not want to build behind a service station or another type of business. For example, you do not see a McDonald's or a major gas station out of view. Ideally. locate the building out in front and build it parallel to the main street. If dimensions require the tunnel to be built perpendicu- lar to the street, try to get the building (entrance or exit} close to the street for visibility - TRAFFIC COUNTS Traffic counts are something investors and developers may put a lot of emphasis on. Even though we would father have higher traffic counts than lower traffic counts, this variable is not nearly as vital as demograph- ics. Keep in mind traffic is coming and going — usually heading to work or returning home — and many drivers do not want to get off of the highway to get their cars washed. We have seen car washes with extremely high traffic counts not performing the required volume because they did not have the population- On the other hand, we have also witnessed lower traffic counts with sufficient population performing high -volume counts - Sometimes, real estate brokers and parties selling their products/services will put importance only on high traf- fic counts and do not have the experience or know how to advise if a property should really be considered. TRAFFIC SPEED Traffic speed is important. For Instance, if the traffic is going 50 mrles per hour or more, drivers are usually going too fast to view the facility or to ever) want to turn in. It is also difficult for vehicles to exit the property into fast-moving traffic. Try to shoot for speed limits less than 45 MPH - THE COMMUNITY - TRAFFIC PATTERNS Adjacent surroundings and communities are also note- worthy considerations. You should drive around and observe the businesses, shopping centers, strip malls, office buildings and residential areas. Bear in mind if the property is in an industrial area, you may only be privileged to the existing traffic on week - clays. On weekends, when you project your highest vol. ume, streets could be bare and empty of any vehicles. When driving around the residential areas, you want to view the housing, apartments versus homes, and the types of vehicles parked on the streets. Is the neighbor- hood deteriorating? Are vehicles so dirty you cannot clearly see their color? Will the neighborhood be willing and able to patronize a car wash regardless of price? TRADE BARRIERS Within a 3 mile radius, there may be traffic patterns or "trade barriers" that divide a proposed location and the competition, even though the locations are geographi- cally close to each other. Typical trade barriers may be divided highways, one way roads, rivers, neighborhoods, traffic patterns that favor one shopping, center over another. ENTRANCE AND EXIT POINTS The ingress/egress, which Is the entrance/ exit for the property, has to contribute to producing high volume. Is there a center median where vehicles have to go to the next Intersection and make a U-turn? This will reduce the amount of customers who will consider patronizing your business. Is the property on a service road where the vehicle has to leave the main street to enter a service road and then repeat the process getting back on the main street? All of this should be taken into consideration in analyzing the ingress/egress. You want It to be as easy as possible to get on and off your site. NEARBY RETAIL AREA Business breeds business. If you are near other retail businesses, then there are additional draws to the area. Try to find an area that has fast food and retail shopping. For example, a successful strategy has been to harness the destination draw from Big Box retail stores and lo- cate a car wash on one of their out -lots. NEARBY COMPETITION Competing car washes in a three mile radius must be seriously considered as threat or deterrent to your proposed site. visit all of the local washes that are not service stations or self serve washes in your 3 mile radi- us and assess them as a competitor. If your plan is to build an express exterior wash, can existing full -serves have the possibility of converting to an express or flex -serve? Are there already express loca- dons within the marketing area? AMIL o [ppynght 2at6 ci.)adV,ew Mem3, Rrannitd wR11 permiswin from Frafmilomai UarwLrAkV i Vemof * Marge in 75A-44