---
title: "Driven Brands IMO Sale Fuels Take 5 Focus and Franchise Growth"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ba867961-7f16-41e1-89ee-b7a4ea34aa51
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/driven-brands-imo-sale-franchise-equity-partners-2731433
category: "Car wash"
industry: "Automotive"
segment: "Car wash"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2026-02-10T23:18:31.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T20:29:46.948Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5ba34e1364cfa8f17ea590be7ad21ef15600.jpg
---

# Driven Brands IMO Sale Fuels Take 5 Focus and Franchise Growth

**TL;DR:** Driven Brands has sold its international carwash business, IMO, to Franchise Equity Partners for approximately 411 million euros, allowing the company to focus on its franchise portfolio, particularly Take 5 Oil Change. The sale is part of Driven Brands' effort to streamline its portfolio, reduce debt, and concentrate resources on its core franchise systems.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2026-02-10. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/driven-brands-imo-sale-franchise-equity-partners-2731433).*

## Story

Driven Brands Holdings Inc. has sold its international carwash business, IMO, to Franchise Equity Partners, clearing the deck to put more attention and investment behind its franchise portfolio.

The transaction, announced in a recent press release, reflects Driven Brands’ broader effort to streamline its portfolio, reduce debt and concentrate resources on its core franchise systems — particularly Take 5 Oil Change.

“The completion of this transaction is a strategic milestone for Driven Brands, sharpening our focus on what we do best — scaling our industry-leading Take 5 business and driving consistent cash generation from our franchise brands,” said Danny Rivera, president and CEO. “I want to thank everyone involved for their hard work in closing the transaction. This divestiture simplifies our portfolio, strengthens our balance sheet and further positions Driven Brands to generate value for shareholders.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Franchise Equity Partners paid approximately 411 million euros in total consideration. Driven Brands said most of the cash proceeds will be used to pay down debt, improving financial flexibility and reinforcing its ability to invest in franchise development, technology and operational support.

For franchisees, the deal reads as a reset: fewer moving parts, clearer priorities and a leadership team signaling where it plans to spend its time and money. With IMO off the books, Driven Brands is concentrating on the brands it believes can grow predictably and profitably through franchising, with Take 5 at the top of the list. That typically means tighter attention on development, operations and marketing where it can move the needle systemwide.

The company said it will report results for the Car Wash segment as discontinued operations beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025. It also plans to start reporting Auto Glass Now as its own stand-alone segment in the fourth quarter of 2025, a change intended to better reflect the business's organizational structure after the sale.

Driven Brands said it expects to furnish a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission in mid-February. The company said the filing will include unaudited, recast quarterly operating results for the first three quarters of fiscal 2025 that reflect the new segment reporting structure.

The sale also underscores where Driven Brands is placing its bets. After shedding IMO, the company is positioning itself to devote more attention and resources to Take 5 and its remaining franchise brands, with less capital tied up in businesses outside that core focus.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- franchise growth (topic)
- private equity (topic)
- Finance (sector)
- Driven Brands (company)
- Take 5 Oil Change (company)
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (regulator)
- debt reduction (topic)
- Franchise Equity Partners (investor)
- Danny Rivera (person)
- portfolio streamlining (topic)
- IMO (company)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/driven-brands-imo-sale-franchise-equity-partners-2731433). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ba867961-7f16-41e1-89ee-b7a4ea34aa51).