MOBILE car care startup Fresh Car has doubled headcount since the beginning of the year, while expanding across the UK and Ireland, and launching a ‘SMART repair’ business in Edinburgh ahead of a planned roll-out nationwide.
The company, founded by Sam Brennan from the back of his father’s car in 2015, has also secured a £500,000 investment led by Foresight Group as Brennan eyes having around 100 franchisees and UK-wide coverage in place by the end of the year. Following the funding round, Foresight Group Investment Director Graeme McKinstry has joined the Fresh Car’s board.
Fresh upped headcount to 14 this year, now has 75 franchisees, including in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and is targeting a big upswing in franchisees in London and the South East of England over the next twelve months.
In a UK market with around 31 million car owners valued at over £1.2 billion, CEO and Founder Sam Brennan is aiming for Fresh’s site and app to deliver a highly professional car care service that he says is “revolutionising the way people manage their car care.” Having grown monthly platform revenue significantly since the beginning of the year, Brennan sees scope for a further increase over the coming months.
Sam Brennan, Founder and CEO of Fresh Car, added: “We are demonstrating that there is a new way for people to manage their car care, from cleaning and basic car care, right through to maintenance and repairs. So, the ‘SMART repair’ service we are trialling locally in Edinburgh is something we fully expect to roll-out UK-wide in 2023. Front and centre, we remain absolutely committed to customer service through our franchise network.”
Brennan continued: “We’re excited to have both the backing of Foresight, and Graeme’s dedicated support and advice as the newest addition to our board.”
Graeme McKinstry, Investment Director at Foresight, said: “We are delighted to invest alongside the experienced angel investors, backing Sam and the Fresh Car team for their next stage of growth. The team is targeting a significant market opportunity and has built a scaleable technology platform, enabling the business to grow quickly with recent new franchise launches across the UK and Ireland.”
Looking ahead to 2023, CEO Brennan says the company is planning to grow its B2B offering by meeting demand for valeting and repairs, and is also likely to ramp up its service offering for the electric vehicles sector.
There are approximately 31 million car owners in the UK, with a car care market valued at over £1.2 billion.
