COSTA MESA, Calif. — Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC) franchisee Henley Pacific LA L.L.C. has acquired 31 Synfast Oil Change quick-lube locations in southern California and converted them to the VIOC brand.
The stores are located in cities stretching from Bakersfield in the north to San Diego. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Henley Pacific LA is an operating unit of Boston-based Henley Enterprises, the largest VIOC franchise nationwide with more than 100 stores in California and 100-plus more in 11 Eastern Seaboard states.
Henley CEO Don Smith said the acquisition makes Henley Pacific the "dominant player in this huge market.”
It expanded into California in 2012 with the acquisition of 72 EZ Lube locations and now has 101 locations with this latest acquisition and the recent opening of VIOC centers in Menifee, Novato, San Francisco, San Rafael and Santa Rosa, Calif. The latter four previously were 10 Minute Oil Change locations.
The Synfast chain featured Castrol-brand lubricants.
Henley also opened a VIOC center recently in Weymouth, Mass., and another Henley unit, Henley Gulf Coast L.L.C., opened its first VIOC center in New Orleans, in a converted three-bay auto service outlet. Henley has stores in Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.
Henley sold 56 VIOC stores in Michigan in late 2017 to Valvoline in order to concentrate on its Eastern Seaboard and California operations
The Henley Enterprises deal is one of 20-plus involving new Valvoline oil change locations announced in the past several months.
Others involving franchisees include:
- Phoenix 27 L.L.C. opened a VIOC center in Lawrenceburg, Ky., its fifth in the suburb of Frankfort, Ky.
- Ivy Lane Corp. opened a VIOC center in Melrose Park, Ill., its 10th in the Chicago area.
- Earl Erdmann acquired three existing quick-lube stores, in Canyon, Plainview and Abilene, Texas, and converted them to the Valvoline Express Care platform. The locations — previously Scott Oil Change and Kwik Kar Lube & Tune — expand Mr. Erdman's holdings to 25 Express Care locations in Texas.
- Wesley Cronheimer and Greg Price opened an Express Care location in Kingsville, Ontario, the franchisees' first jointly owned outlet. Each has one other wholly owned store in the Kingsville area.
- Galena Companies opened a pair of VIOC centers, in Rochelle Park, N.J., and Uniondale, N.Y., in converted commercial buildings. The Rochelle Park center — in a former 10 Minute Oil Change Place outlet – is Galena's fifth VIOC location in Bergen County, N.J., while the shop in Uniondale — in a former Flash Lube location — is the franchisee's seventh VIOC on Long Island.
- Ivy Lane Corp. acquired a Havoline Express Lube in Alsilp, Ill., and converted it to a VIOC center, its fifth location in the Chicago market.
Valvoline Inc. also opened a dozen company-owned VIOC centers in seven states: Greenwood, Ind.; Kettering, Lewis Center and Plain City, Ohio; Coraopolis, Pa.; Morristown, Tenn.; Houston; Johnson City and Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Hampton, Virginia Beach and Waynesboro, Va.
These latest openings push the Valvoline oil change center network to nearly 1,200 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.