FEP Announces Inaugural International Acquisition via a Purchase of the Leading Global Tunnel Car Wash Operator With 720 Locations
NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Franchise Equity Partners, LP (FEP), a private investment firm on a mission to create long-term partnerships with quality franchisees, franchisors, and multi-unit companies, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire IMO Car Wash, the largest tunnel car wash business in the world, from Driven Brands (NASDAQ:DRVN). The transaction includes IMO's entire portfolio of 720 locations, primarily located across the United Kingdom and Germany, with sites in nine other European countries and Australia.
Founded 60 years ago, IMO Car Wash is one of the most recognized and trusted car wash brands globally, serving millions of customers annually through its convenient, high-volume model. The company operates a uniquely diversified footprint and is supported by a management team with deep expertise in the car wash sector.
"We believe IMO represents a rare opportunity to acquire a market-leading, long-standing brand with a highly defensible footprint and a strong operating team," said Scott Romanoff, Co-Managing Partner at FEP. "Our goal is to help optimize and enhance performance across the existing portfolio. With IMO's established customer base, retail partnerships, and experienced leadership, we see significant opportunity to drive organic growth and continue strengthening the brand."
"Our investment in IMO is FEP's inaugural transaction outside the United States," added Mike Esposito, Co-Managing Partner at FEP. "We believe this represents the ideal foundation to expand our strong multi-unit retail presence in the United States to the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond."
Under FEP's ownership, IMO will focus on increasing wash volumes, elevating the customer experience, and further leveraging its strategic retail partnerships. IMO maintains strong relationships with retailers across the UK and EU, where the company operates car washes on-site to increase customer traffic for both IMO and its retail hosts.
"This marks an important milestone for IMO Car Wash," said Adam Green, President of IMO Car Wash. "FEP understands both the heritage and the potential of our brand. Their long-term approach, commitment to operational excellence, and deep experience in multi-unit business models make them an ideal partner as we focus on unlocking more value from our existing network. We look forward to working with FEP to strengthen our market position and continue serving our customers."
The acquisition reinforces FEP's strategy of partnering with category-leading operators in resilient industries where scale, brand recognition, and operational efficiency create sustainable competitive advantages.
For more information about Franchise Equity Partners, please visit https://www.fep-us.com/.
About Franchise Equity Partners:
Franchise Equity Partners is a private investment firm specializing in providing capital to franchise businesses and their owners. Its differentiated approach combines extensive corporate finance and operating experience with an initial target portfolio size of $1 billion to enable growth, ownership simplification, succession and estate planning, among other strategic business opportunities. To learn more about Franchise Equity Partners, please visit www.fep-us.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.
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