ST. LOUIS (Aug. 23, 2010) — A St. Louis-area Jiffy Lube business recently went to the cats and dogs, with a grand re-opening and fund raiser for the local Humane Society.
Jiffy Lube franchisee Heartland Automotive Services Inc. held a grand re-opening of its 32 St. Louis stores that included seeking customer donations to benefit the Humane Society. It was part of Jiffy Lube International Inc.'s effort, begun nearly two years ago, to better differentiate its outlets from other quick lube operators and focus more on service. The company said its $1.6 million investment resulted in re-imaging its St. Louis stores and adding operational excellence programs that included a new look to the exterior and interior of stores and a greater focus on customer service.
Houston-based Jiffy Lube first entered the St. Louis market 25 years ago. The company said it has 242 employees servicing more than 360,000 cars annually in that area.
For its fund-raising partnership with the Humane Society of Missouri, which ended Aug. 20, Jiffy Lube made a donation to the group for every Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change performed at the company's area service centers. Customers also were encouraged to make a $2 donation at stores to help achieve the goal of raising $10,000 for the Humane Society and were given the opportunity to enter a Shell Gas Card Sweepstakes to win $500, $300 or $200 in free gas.
Jiffy Lube said its efforts to update stores and improve service has met with customer acceptance “so much so that nationally those Jiffy Lube locations that have undergone re-imaging and implemented operational excellence are experiencing on average 3.6 percent more vehicles per day.”
“The re-introduction to (St. Louis) area Jiffy Lube stores, called 'Unleashing a New Standard in Service,' is a nod to the fact that Jiffy Lube is both going through a business change and wants to celebrate with the community by supporting the local Humane Society…,” the company added.
Heartland Automotive Services is the largest franchisee of quick lube retail service stores in the country, according to Jiffy Lube, which operates more than 400 locations nationwide and claims to service nearly 5 million customers annually.