How SpeeDee Navigated COVID-19 and How the Brand is Continuing to Recover

Founded in 1980, SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service is a leader in the industry thanks to its extensive list of services that includes brakes, tires, oil changes, manufacturer’s recommended services and more. SpeeDee delivers top-notch, transparent service with a strong focus on customer satisfaction — all attributes that have contributed to its current position within the industry and growth to more than 150 locations across the U.S.

When COVID-19 hit in March, FullSpeed Automotive, SpeeDee’s parent company, jumped into action, helping each franchisee follow the CDC’s safety recommendations. Since then, FullSpeed Automotive has supported franchisees in additional ways, whether that be through vendor relationships, training, industry updates or government notifications.

The SpeeDee team provided updated marketing materials to ensure that franchisees could spread the word about the safety measures being taken while continuing to service customers. Franchisees were given access to in-store and outdoor signage, digital marketing materials, email templates, flyers and more. The brand also implemented special, limited-time offers to drive foot traffic.

Pandemic support efforts

“Throughout the pandemic, the SpeeDee team continually followed the SBA loan options and deadlines for small businesses in order to educate franchisees on their best path to success,” said Ralph Yarusso, CDO for FullSpeed Automotive. “The corporate team forged lending relationships for SpeeDee franchisees to help them consider SBA loan programs and hosted educational webinars, realizing that no one has prior expertise in pandemic-related government entitlements and any assistance could help them navigate the system.”

In April, the SpeeDee team implemented royalty and advertising fee deferments for those franchisees that were struggling in the changing landscape.

When it came to keeping everyone up-to-date, the leadership team leveraged existing vendor relationships to share information about oil change-related training webinars covering several key areas impacted by COVID-19. The franchisor stayed abreast of government orders in cities, counties and states pertaining to stay-at-home directives and other requirements based on municipality mandates, and then communicated those orders around the clock as they impacted every SpeeDee location.

In order to ensure that all SpeeDee locations could stay open, the team helped franchisees through the process of achieving the status of an “essential business.” Still, those that were able to stay open needed to pivot their business model to meet the needs of the “new norm”. The stores even offered SpeeDee-branded cloth masks and hand sanitizers as customer giveaways.

The brand also offered SpeeDee Ear Savers to attach to the elastic straps of the masks and relieve the discomfort some people experience from the elastic rubbing behind their ears. Franchisees were provided access to SpeeDee-branded canopy tents to offer outdoor cover for customers who prefer to stay outside or when lobbies are closed to customers or at capacity.

Franchisee experiences

Franchisee Sonia Robinson has been operating her SpeeDee location in her hometown of Fort Mill, SC since 2019. The industry veteran has remained up and running through the COVID-19 crisis as an essential business. According to Robinson, the guidance provided by FullSpeed Automotive has been absolutely invaluable.

“With the support of the corporate team, I was able to keep my doors open for the residents of my community through a difficult time,” she said. “The feedback from my customers has been fantastic, and it’s been extremely rewarding.”

For 40 years, SpeeDee has built trusted customer relationships based on reliability and professional service. SpeeDee is committed to providing customers with the expertise, value and responsiveness that they deserve through services such as the signature 17-point oil change, tune-ups, alignments, brakes and more. Today, SpeeDee sees 900,000 customers each year, with 65% of those being repeat customers.

Plus, SpeeDee’s Total Trust Guarantee™ offers customers key points of transparency such as a bay-monitoring video system, knowing one’s service team and transparent pricing. This is a top priority for the brand and will likely become a major selling point in the post-COVID future.

Now, as the world slowly starts to reemerge in the wake of the pandemic, SpeeDee is committed to helping franchisees navigate the new landscape in order to provide this same level of exceptional automotive services to customers all over the country.

The investment level for opening a SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service ranges from $197,305 to $537,970 with a $35,000 franchise fee. SpeeDee offers veterans and first responders a discount on their franchise fee and a substantial royalty rebate for their first two years of business. Candidates should demonstrate financial capability of a minimum $250,000 net worth and $60,000 to $75,000 in liquid assets, per unit developed. To learn more about franchising opportunities with SpeeDee, visit ***